Disk cartridge

ABSTRACT

A disk cartridge of the present invention comprises a case body ( 101 ) having a disk-storage portion and an opening/closing cover ( 201 ) having a pair of disk holding members ( 202 ) that hold a disk ( 10 ) in its inplane direction. The accommodated disk ( 10 ) is loaded together with the opening/closing cover ( 201 ) into an adapter having compatibility with a large disk cartridge. Thus, information can be, for example, reproduced from the disk ( 10 ) in a drive unit designed for a large disk cartridge via the adapter. Moreover, a series of operations can be conducted without touching the disk directly.

“This application is a Divisional of application Ser. No. 09/269,352,filed Mar. 25, 1999, which is a 371 of PCT/JP98/05667, filed Dec. 15,1998, which application(s) are incorporated herein by reference.”

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

First Invention

The present first invention relates to a disk cartridge accommodating adisc-shaped recording medium and to a cartridge adapter capable ofrecording information on and reproducing information from thedisc-shaped recording medium accommodated in the disk cartridge using adrive unit designed for a larger disk cartridge than the disk cartridge.

Second Invention

The present second invention relates to a disk cartridge fordouble-sided recording that accommodates a disk as a disc-like recordingand reproducing medium such as an optical disk. Particularly, thepresent second invention is suitable for providing a smaller and thinnerdisk cartridge.

Third Invention

The present third invention relates to a disk cartridge accommodating adisk for recording and reproducing information. Particularly, thepresent third invention relates to a disk cartridge comprising a shutterfor exposing a disk surface in order to drive a disk for recording,reproduction and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

First Invention

With the rapid progress of computer techniques, disc-shaped recordingmedia have been used widely as means for recording, reproducing, anderasing various information. With respect to disc-shaped recordingmedia, there are a plurality of standards that differ in recordingdensity, size, recording and reproducing system, and the likerespectively. Corresponding to the respective disc-shaped recordingmedia according to the plurality of standards, there are also aplurality of drive units for recording information on and reproducingand erasing information from the respective disc-shaped recording media.

Under such circumstances, it is convenient for users when disc-shapedrecording media according to a plurality of standards can be driven forrecording, reproducing, and erasing information with one drive unit.Therefore, various systems have been proposed.

As a method for driving a plurality of disc-shaped recording mediahaving different sizes for recording, reproducing, and erasinginformation with one drive unit, for example, a method in which a userinserts a bare disc-shaped recording medium into an adapter and thensets it into a drive unit has been proposed. Partially, this method hascome into practical use for driving both a compact disc (CD) with adiameter of 12 cm and a single compact disc with a diameter of 8 cm.

As a method of recording information on and reproducing and erasinginformation from disc-shaped recording media with various sizesaccommodated in cartridges with one drive unit, for example, as shown inFIG. 51, a method of recording, reproducing, and erasing information ina drive unit 1921 designed for a large disk cartridge by inserting asmall-size disk cartridge 1901 into a cartridge adapter 1911 having thesame size and the same external shape as those of the large diskcartridge has been studied (for instance, Publication of JapaneseUnexamined Patent Application Hei 2-121174). In FIG. 51, numerals 1912and 1913 indicate a head access opening and a shutter of the cartridgeadapter 1911, respectively. The head access opening 1912 and the shutter1913 are formed so as to have the same shapes and sizes as those of thecartridge for a large disc. Numerals 1902 and 1903 indicate a headaccess opening and a shutter of the small disk cartridge 1901,respectively. A numeral 1914 indicates an insertion portion into whichthe small disk cartridge 1901 is inserted, and a numeral 1924 indicatesan insertion portion into which the large disk cartridge is inserted.

However, the method in which a user inserts a bare disc-shaped recordingmedium into an adapter and sets it into a drive unit is not suitable forthe use that requires high reliability and high durability, since theuser can put dirt and scratches on the disc-shaped recording mediumeasily.

Further, in the method of recording, reproducing, and erasinginformation in a drive unit designed for a large disk cartridge byinserting a small disk cartridge into a cartridge adapter having thesame size and the same external shape as those of the large diskcartridge as shown in FIG. 51, for example, the following problemsoccur. The small disk cartridge is different from the large cartridge inshapes and sizes of the head access opening and the shutter that areprovided in a disk cartridge, and in the opening/closing mechanisms ofthe shutter. Therefore, some problems occur, for example, a head of thedrive unit comes into contact with the shutter 1903 and the exteriormembers around the head access opening 1902 of the small disk cartridge1901 accommodated in the cartridge adapter 1911, and the mechanism foropening and closing the shutter is complicated. As a result, in diskcartridges with different sizes, it is difficult to record, reproduce,and erase information without any problems using such an adapter.Considering such use, it has been necessary to review the design of thedrive unit itself in some cases.

Second Invention

Recently, disk drive units for optical disks or the like used asrecording units of computers have been required to be smaller andthinner, as portable computers have become widespread. At the same time,disks for recording and reproduction have become smaller, and thereforethe disks with high recording-density have been required. Such a disk isaccommodated in a cartridge case so that fingerprints and dust, whichare obstacles for recording and reproducing information at a highdensity, do not adhere to the disk.

An example of a conventional double-sided disk cartridge and a mechanismof opening and closing its shutter will be explained with reference tothe drawings as follows.

FIG. 61 is a perspective structural view of a disk cartridge inconformity with the International Standard for a 130-mm optical disk.FIG. 62 is a perspective view showing a state in which a shutter of thedisk cartridge shown in FIG. 61 is opened. FIG. 63 is a partiallyenlarged perspective view showing a configuration around the shutter ofthe disk cartridge shown in FIG. 61. In this conventional diskcartridge, an optical disk 2104 is accommodated in a case body 2103having a substantially rectangular shape formed of an upper half 2101and a lower half 2102. An opening 2105 into which a disk motor and anoptical pickup can be inserted is provided in the upper and lowersurfaces of the case body 2103. A U-shaped shutter 2106 for covering anduncovering the opening 2105 is slidably provided on the case body 2103.The shutter 2106 is formed in a manner such that a metal plate is foldedin two. The shutter 2106 comprises two opposed shielding plates 2107 anda connecting plate 2108 interconnecting the two opposed shieldingplates. The connecting plate 2108 fixes and holds a thin and long slider2109 so as to cover the slider 2109. A receiving hole 2110 into which ashutter opener P1 is inserted is provided to a tail portion of theconnecting plate 2108. The shutter opener P1 is provided in a loadingmechanism of a recording and reproducing unit. Corresponding to thereceiving hole 2110, a receiving hole 2111 is provided in the slider2109. A roller R1 of the shutter opener P1 shown in FIG. 63 is engagedwith the receiving hole 2111. A torsion coil spring 2114 is housed inthe left side of the leading end of the case body 2103. This torsioncoil spring 2114 urges the shutter 2106 in the direction in which theshutter 2106 covers the opening 2105.

At an end of the slider 2109, a slope 2115 is provided so that a rollerR2 of a shutter opener P2 provided in the loading mechanism of therecording and reproducing unit as shown in FIG. 63 can pass over theslope 2115 smoothly.

When this conventional disk cartridge is inserted into the recording andreproducing unit, one shutter opener P1 is inserted into the receivinghole 2110 of the shutter 2106 and the receiving hole 2111 of the slider2109. When the shutter opener P1 moves the shutter 2106 to the left touncover the opening 2105 as shown in FIG. 62, the other shutter openerP2 crosses over and along the slope 2115 of the slider 2109. As aresult, the shutter openers P1 and P2 cross each other.

Guide grooves 2116 for preventing erroneous insertion of a cartridge areformed at the leading ends of both side faces of the case body 2103.When the disk cartridge is inserted into a unit normally, auto-loadinghooks (not shown in the figures) that are a loading means of therecording and reproducing unit are inserted into the guide grooves 2116,thus pulling the disk cartridge into the unit. On the other hand, whenthe disk cartridge is inserted into the recording and reproducing unitfrom its back, the auto-loading hooks come into contact with the backcorners of the case body 2103. Therefore, the disk cartridge cannot beinserted any further, thus preventing the erroneous insertion.Consequently, damage to an optical head that is an information writingand reading means of the recording and reproducing unit and othermechanisms can be avoided.

At the rear of the both side faces of the case body 2103, grooves 2117for engaging with a chucking (cramping) mechanism (not show in thefigures) of a changer unit are formed. As widely known, one of aplurality of disk cartridges accommodated in a changer unit is selectedand the chucking mechanism engages with grooves 2117 of the selecteddisk cartridge to hold and load it, thus enabling automatic selectionand automatic recording/reproduction.

However, there have been the following problems in the double-sided diskcartridge having the above-mentioned conventional structure.

During the operation of opening and closing a shutter, the rollers atthe ends of two shutter openers cross each other on the connecting plate2108. Therefore, when a space is provided in order to avoid the contactbetween the two rollers, it is necessary to increase the thickness ofthe cartridge, which, as a result, goes against the trend to a thinnerunit. Further, in order to obtain a thin unit, there is a cartridge inwhich the front-end center of the case body 2103 is formed of a bridgeportion that is recessed from the two case faces so as to allow anoptical head (not shown in the figure) of the unit and a cramp mechanism(not shown in the figure) for the disk to pass through. However, sincesuch a bridge portion is further thinner than the cartridge, the rollersof the shutter openers cannot come into contact with the thinner bridgeportion. Even if the rollers can come into contact with the bridgeportion, the rollers are in contact with the bridge portion merelyslightly. Consequently, in view of reliability, it has been difficult toapply such a cartridge to the double-sided disk cartridge.

Next, a conventional disk cartridge has a configuration in which one ofthe shutter openers (the shutter opener P2 in FIG. 63) shifts from thefront end of the case body 2103 to the connecting plate 2108 of theshutter 2106. In the conventional disk cartridge, consideration is givento a smooth shift by providing the slope 2115 to the slider 2109.However, there has been a problem in that design errors and the likecause difference in level and therefore shift load resistance increasesduring the shift, resulting in bad operational feeling.

Since guide grooves 2116 for preventing erroneous insertion are providedat the leading ends of the both side faces of the case body, the spaceinside the case body becomes smaller. Therefore, the space in which thetorsion coil spring 2114 that provides force to the shutter 2106 ismoved and the moving distance of the slider 2109 are smaller and shorterthan those in the case where no guide groove 2116 is provided. On theother hand, when the space required for the movement of the torsion coilspring 2114 is provided, the disk cartridge becomes bigger. Thus, it isnot suitable for obtaining a smaller disk cartridge.

Further, since grooves 2117 for a changer unit are provided at the rearof the both side faces of the case body 2103, there is a possibility ofdamaging the peripheral surface of the disk 2104 through the contactwith edges of the grooves 2117 during ejection of the disk 2104, whenthe disk 2104 is applied to a cartridge in which the disk 2104 isejected from the back of the case body 2103. In order to avoid this, itis necessary to make the disk cartridge bigger so as to have an extraspace at least for the grooves 2117, resulting in a bigger diskcartridge.

Thus, the configuration of the conventional double-sided disk cartridgedoes not enable the disk cartridge to be smaller and thinner. Therefore,there has been a problem in that it is difficult to obtain a smallerdrive unit.

Third Invention

Recently, in view of large recording capacity, excellence in informationsearch, easy handling, and the like, disks of disc-shaped recordingmedia and disk recording and reproducing units that drive the disks havereceived much attention.

Such a disk is accommodated in a cartridge with a shutter so that thecartridge prevents a recording surface of the disk from being damaged orfrom being touched easily and keeps the recording surface away fromdirt.

A configuration of a conventional disk cartridge will be explained withreference to the drawing as follows.

FIG. 68 shows plan views showing a structure of a conventional diskcartridge. FIG. 68(A) and (B) show the conventional disk cartridge withits shutter being closed and being opened, respectively.

In FIG. 68, a numeral 3101 indicates a cartridge body, which is made ofsynthetic resin. The cartridge body 3101 accommodates a disk 3103 of arecording medium rotatably. A numeral 3101 a indicates an openingprovided on both sides of the cartridge body 3101. The openings 3101 aare used for exposing surfaces of the disk 3103 so that light can beirradiated onto the disk 3103 across its inner and outer peripheries forrecording and reproduction. The cartridge body 3101 shown in FIG. 68 isprovided so that a center hole is completely exposed through theopenings 3101 a, since it is necessary that a disk recording andreproducing unit holds the center hole to rotate the disk 3103. Anumeral 3102 indicates a shutter that is formed of a thin plate made ofmetal such as aluminum, or a synthetic resin plate. The shutter 3102 ismaintained by the cartridge body 3101 slidably so as to cover theopenings 3101 a completely to shield the disk 3103 or so as to uncoverthe openings 3101 a to expose the disk 3103.

The operation of such a conventional disk cartridge will be explained.

When the cartridge body 3101 having the shutter 3102 is loaded in a diskrecording and reproducing unit, a concave part 3102 a provided in theshutter 3102 engages with an opener lever OL of the disk recording andreproducing unit as shown in FIG. 68(A) and the shutter 3102 slides tothe right (in the direction indicated with an arrow O in FIG. 68). Thus,the openings 3101 a are uncovered. On the other hand, when the cartridgebody 3101 is drawn out from the recording and reproducing unit, theshutter 3102 slides to the left (in the direction indicated with anarrow S in FIG. 68) by a shutter return spring 3104 inside the cartridgeas shown in FIG. 68(B) to return to the initial position. Thus, theshutter covers the openings 3101 a and thus the disk surfaces are notexposed. The cartridge body 3101 has the above-mentioned configuration.

As shown in FIG. 68(B), the conventional disk cartridge had aconfiguration in which the shutter 3102 that has been moved to the sideis not positioned outside the cartridge body 3101 beyond its peripheralend when the shutter 3102 is opened to expose the openings 3101 acompletely.

That is to say, as shown in FIG. 70, the conventional disk cartridge hada configuration in which L3=L2>L1≧L0 is satisfied, wherein with a closedshutter, L represents the width of the disk cartridge (cartridge body)in the sliding direction of the shutter, L0 represents the width of theopening, L1 is the width of the shutter, L2 is the distance between theleading end of the shutter in its sliding direction and the peripheralend of the cartridge body that is nearer to the above-mentioned leadingend (the width of a region where the shutter is positioned when beingmoved to the side), and L3 represents the distance between the rear endof the shutter in its sliding direction and the peripheral end of thecartridge body that is nearer to the above-mentioned rear end (generallyL3=L2). In this case, the width L of the whole cartridge had to be setto satisfy L3+L1+L2>3×L1 inevitably.

However, in the above-mentioned conventional disk cartridge, when theopenings 3101 a become larger, the shutter 3102 covering the openings3101 a also becomes larger. At the same time, the required space forpositioning the shutter when the shutter is moved to the side becomeslarger. Consequently, there has been a problem in that the cartridgeitself comes to have a large size.

Especially, as shown in FIG. 69, in a disk cartridge for asmall-diameter disk 3003 in which only its capacity is reduced bydecreasing the disk diameter without changing its recording andreproducing system and drive system and in which its small size, lightweight, and portability are considered as important, the size of anopening 3111 a, especially its width in the sliding direction is fixed.Therefore, the width of a shutter 3112 and the width of the region wherethe shutter 3112 is positioned when being moved to the side areincreased. As a result, only the cartridge size is larger than neededfor the small-diameter disk 3003, which has been a disadvantage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

First Invention

The present first invention aims to solve the above-mentionedconventional problems. It is an object of the present first invention toprovide a disk cartridge and an adapter. The disk cartridge and theadapter can secure reliability of information and durability of a diskby enabling that information is recorded on and reproduced and erasedfrom a disc-shaped recording medium accommodated in a disk cartridge ina drive unit designed for a disk cartridge having a larger size thanthat of the disk cartridge via an adapter. At the same time greatmodification in a drive unit design is not required, and the disc-shapedrecording medium is loaded to the adapter without being toucheddirectly.

The present first invention employs the following configuration in orderto attain the above-mentioned object.

A disk cartridge of the first present invention comprises a case bodyhaving an opening for ejecting a disk and a disk-storage portionprovided continuously to the opening, and an opening/closing coverhaving a pair of disk holding members that hold the disk. Theopening/closing cover is accommodated in the disk-storage portion in awithdrawal condition. When the opening/closing cover is withdrawn fromthe disk-storage portion, the pair of the disk holding members maintainthe disk in its inplane direction According to the disk cartridge withthe above-mentioned configuration, information can be recorded,reproduced, and erased by loading the disk cartridge to a drive unitdesigned for a disk cartridge having compatibility with the diskcartridge without any modification. At the same time, by providing apredetermined adapter as an intermediate, information can be recorded,reproduced, and erased even in a drive unit designed for a larger diskcartridge than the disk cartridge with the above-mentionedconfiguration. Furthermore, great design modification in the drive unitdesigned for a larger disk cartridge is not required, and thereliability of the information and the durability of the disk can besecured, since a user does not touch the disc-shaped recording mediumdirectly.

The adapter of the present first invention comprises: an insertionportion into or from which a disk cartridge can be loaded or ejected; afirst unlocking means that unlocks a first locking means that fixes andholds the opening/closing cover of the disk cartridge to the case bodywhen the disk cartridge is inserted to a predetermined position in theinsertion portion; an opening/closing-cover holding means that retainsthe opening/closing cover in a state in which the first locking meanshas been unlocked and holds the opening/closing cover at thepredetermined position in the insertion portion after the case body isdrawn out from the insertion portion; and a means for releasing theopening/closing-cover holding means that allows the opening/closingcover to be withdrawn from the insertion portion by releasing theopening/closing-cover holding means.

According to the adapter having the above-mentioned configuration,information can be recorded on and reproduced and erased from a smallersize disk in a drive unit designed for a larger disk cartridge havingcompatibility with the adapter described above. Moreover, great designmodification in the drive unit designed for a larger disk cartridge isnot required, and a user does not touch the disc-shaped recording mediumdirectly, thus securing the reliability of information and thedurability of the disk.

Second Invention

It is an object of the present second invention to provide a diskcartridge for double-sided recording and reproduction with a smaller andthinner size so as to obtain a small and thin drive unit.

In order to attain the above-mentioned object, the disk cartridge of thepresent second invention has the following configuration.

A disk cartridge according to a first configuration of the presentsecond invention is a double-sided disk cartridge that can be usedreversibly. The disk cartridge comprises a case body and a U-shapedshutter. The case body comprises a disk-storage portion foraccommodating a disk inside the disk cartridge and openings formed ontwo case faces opposing the disk. The U-shaped shutter comprises twoshielding plates that cover and uncover the two openings and aconnecting portion. The connecting portion interconnects the twoshielding plates and is positioned so as to face the front end of thecase body. The U-shaped shutter is guided movably along the front end ofthe case body. The shutter has an engagement portion formed continuouslyto the two shielding plates so as to cross the connecting portion. Theengagement portion is capable of engaging with one of two shutteropeners provided in a unit when the disk cartridge is loaded into theunit. A guide portion is provided at the front end of the case body andguides the shutter by coming into contact with the other shutter openerwhen the one shutter opener engages with the engagement portion to openand close the shutter. The engagement portion and the guide portion arearranged so that a region where the engagement portion is moved and theguide portion do not overlap each other. According to the firstconfiguration, the disk cartridge can be formed so that rollers of thetwo shutter openers do not cross each other during the opening/closingoperation of the shutter. Therefore, while the disk cartridge enables asmooth opening/closing operation, at the same time the cartridge can bemade thin without decreasing the size of the disk-storage portion inwhich the disk is stored. This also enables the size and thickness of adrive unit to be decreased.

In the first configuration, it is preferable that the disk cartridge hasa bridge portion that is recessed from the two case faces at thefront-end side of the openings of the case body and the engagementportion is positioned movably along the front end of the case bodyincluding the bridge portion. According to such a preferableconfiguration, the thickness of a recording and reproducing unit can bedecreased by forming the unit so that an optical head of the unit and acramp mechanism of a disk pass over the bridge portion region that isrecessed from the case faces.

In the first configuration, it is preferable that a notch is provided tothe connecting portion, an engagement portion capable of engaging withthe notch is formed in the guide portion, and the guide portion is atsubstantially the same level as that of the surface of the connectingportion or projects from the surface. According to such a preferableconfiguration, the shutter openers are guided only on the guide portionincluding the engagement portion, and therefore the difference in levelin the region where the shutter openers are guided is avoided.Consequently, the shutter openers can be moved smoothly and moving loadresistance does not increase, thus obtaining excellent operationalfeeling.

A disk cartridge according to a second configuration of the presentsecond invention is a double-sided disk cartridge that can be usedreversibly. The disk cartridge comprises a case body and a U-shapedshutter. The case body comprises a disk-storage portion foraccommodating a disk inside the disk cartridge and openings formed intwo case faces opposing the disk. The U-shaped shutter comprises twoshielding plates that cover and uncover the two openings, and aconnecting portion. The connecting portion interconnects the twoshielding plates and is positioned so as to face the front end of thecase body. The U-shaped shutter is guided movably along the front end ofthe case body. The shutter has an engagement portion formed continuouslyto the two shielding plates so as to cross the connecting portion Theengagement portion is capable of engaging with one of two shutteropeners provided in a unit when the disk cartridge is loaded into theunit. The disk cartridge has a second guide portion capable of cominginto contact with the shutter openers that is provided at the rear endside of the case body and a retaining portion that is formedcontinuously to the second guide portion and that retains the shutteropeners. The second guide portion and the retaining portion are providedwithin the moving range of the shutter opener. According to such asecond configuration, in the case of erroneous insertion of the diskcartridge into a drive unit, the shutter openers come into contact withand are guided by the second guide portion to be retained by theretaining portion, thus regulating the insertion of the cartridge.Therefore, guide grooves for preventing erroneous insertion that areformed at the ends of both sides of a conventional case body can beomitted. Thus, the space where a torsion coil spring providing force tothe shutter moves and the moving distance of a slider can be increasedcompared to those in the case where the guide grooves are provided. As aresult, a smaller cartridge can be obtained.

In the second configuration, it is preferable that a pair of retainingportions are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line ofthe case body. According to such a preferable configuration, erroneousinsertion can be regulated by the shutter openers regardless of the sideof the disk cartridge, and the bias of the load that is applied to onlyone of the two shutter openers at the time of the regulation can beavoided.

In the second configuration, it is preferable that the retaining portionhas a hook-shaped part formed in a hook shape when it is seen from thecase face side. According to such a preferable configuration, thehook-shaped part can engage with a chucking mechanism of a changer unit.Consequently, conventional grooves at the rear of the both sides of thecase body can be omitted. As a result, a smaller disk cartridge can beobtained. Further, when such a disk cartridge is applied to a cartridgein which a disk is ejected from the back face of the case body, thedamage to the disk caused by the contact of the peripheral side surfaceof the disk with edges of the grooves when the disk is ejected isavoided.

In addition, in the first and second configurations, it is preferable toform an opening/closing cover for ejecting a disk at the rear end of thecase body. According to such a configuration, a disk can be ejected.

Third Invention

The present third invention aims to solve the above-mentioned problems.It is an object of the present third invention to provide diskcartridges having respective sizes conforming to disks having large andsmall diameters.

In order to attain the above-mentioned object, the disk cartridge of thepresent third invention is formed without increasing the width of aregion where a shutter is positioned after being moved to the side, thuspreventing the cartridge size from being increased.

The disk cartridge of the present third invention comprises a disk, asubstantially rectangular cartridge body and a shutter. The disk is adisc-shaped recording medium. The cartridge body accommodates the diskrotatably and has an opening for exposing the disk. The shutter isslidably held along one side of the cartridge body and covers at leastthe opening completely. The opening is formed so as to be positionedsubstantially perpendicular toward one side of the periphery of thecartridge body from substantially the center of the disk with apredetermined width. In the disk cartridge of the present thirdinvention, L0≧L2 is satisfied, wherein L0 indicates the width of theopening in a sliding direction of the shutter and L2 indicates thedistance between the leading end of the shutter in its sliding directionand the peripheral end of the cartridge body that is nearer to theabove-mentioned leading end when the shutter is closed. According tosuch a configuration, the width of the region where the shutter ispositioned when being moved to the side is designed so as to be the sameas or narrower than the width L0 of the opening. Therefore, when thedisk cartridge accommodates a small-diameter disk, a small diskcartridge corresponding to the disk size can be obtained.

In the above-mentioned configuration, it is preferable that the diskcartridge accommodates a disk having the same recording and reproducingsystem as that of and a different outer diameter from that of a disk ofa disc-shaped recording medium that is rotatably accommodated in anarbitrary disk having an opening for exposing the disk accommodatedtherein, and the disk cartridge has substantially the same opening widthas that of the arbitrary disk cartridge. According to such a preferableconfiguration, a small disk cartridge corresponding to the size of anaccommodated disk can be obtained while having a required opening size.

In the above-mentioned configuration, the cartridge can be designed sothat at least a part of the shutter is positioned outside the cartridgebody beyond its peripheral end when the shutter slides and the openingis completely uncovered. According to such a configuration, since thecartridge can have a size corresponding to the size of the accommodateddisk regardless of the opening width, a disk cartridge having a smallsize in its width direction can be provided.

Furthermore, in the above-mentioned configuration, the shutter can beformed of shutter members divided into at least two parts substantiallyperpendicularly to the sliding direction. The shutter members dividedinto at least two parts can be formed so that each part slides in thesame direction and is positioned one upon another, thus exposing theopening. Further, the shutter can be formed of a first shutter memberand a second shutter member that are formed by dividing the shutter intotwo parts substantially perpendicularly to its sliding direction. Thefirst shutter member and the second shutter member also can be formed soas to slide in the different direction from each other. According tothese configurations, not only the disk can be accommodated withoutincreasing the size of the cartridge body in its width direction, butalso the shutter is not positioned outside the cartridge beyond itsperipheral end even when the opening is in an uncovered state where theshutter is opened.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of anexample of a disk cartridge according to a first embodiment of thepresent first invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing schematic shapes of themain components of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the disk cartridge shown in FIG.1 during its assembly or the disk cartridge with an opening/closingcover being withdrawn.

FIG. 4 shows schematic views illustrating the disk cartridge accordingto the first embodiment with its movement in the withdrawal direction ofthe opening/closing cover being limited by a second locking means. FIGS.4(a) and (b) are a plan view and a side view showing the same,respectively.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing an enlarged partof a third locking means of the opening/closing cover according to thefirst embodiment.

FIG. 6 shows partial cross-sectional perspective views illustrating anenlarged part of the third locking means of the disk cartridge accordingto the first embodiment. FIG. 6(a) shows the same in a locked state, andFIG. 6(b) shows the same in an unlocked state.

FIG. 7 is a schematic perspective view showing the third locking meansof the disk cartridge according to the first embodiment in an unlockedstate and when the opening/closing cover is withdrawn.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view showing the disk cartridgeaccording to the first embodiment with a case body being inserted upsidedown with respect to the opening/closing cover.

FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway schematic perspective view showing theappearance of an example of a disk cartridge according to a secondembodiment of the present first invention.

FIG. 10 is an exploded perspective view showing schematic shapes of themain components of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showing the disk cartridge shown inFIG. 9 during its assembly or the disk cartridge with an opening/closingcover being withdrawn.

FIG. 12 is an entire perspective view showing the appearance of anexample of an adapter according to a third embodiment of the presentfirst invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view showing the internal structure afterremoving an upper case and a shutter of the adapter shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view showing components (except forthe upper case and the shutter) of the adapter shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which a door of theadapter according to the third embodiment is opened and the diskcartridge according to the first embodiment is inserted into aninsertion portion (wherein the upper case and the shutter are removed sothat the internal structure can be seen).

FIG. 16 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which theopening/closing cover of the disk cartridge according to the firstembodiment is held by an opening/closing-cover holding means of theadapter according to the third embodiment (wherein the upper case andthe shutter are removed so that the internal structure can be seen).

FIG. 17 is a partially cutaway schematic plan view showing a state inwhich a case body is drawn out after the opening/closing-cover holdingmeans of the adapter according to the third embodiment was operated, orthe case body is inserted into the adapter while theopening/closing-cover holding means is operated (wherein the upper caseand the shutter are removed so that the internal structure can be seen).

FIG. 18 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which theopening/closing cover of the disk cartridge according to the firstembodiment is held by the opening/closing-cover holding means of theadapter according to the third embodiment and the case body is removed(wherein the upper case and the shutter are removed so that the internalstructure can be seen).

FIG. 19 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the door isclosed in the state shown in FIG. 18 (wherein the upper case and theshutter are removed so that the internal structure can be seen).

FIG. 20 shows partially enlarged views for explaining an operating stateof a third unlocking means of the adapter according to the thirdembodiment. FIG. 20(a) is a partial cross-sectional view taken on aplane that is perpendicular to a disk surface and passes through thecenter of a third unlocking projection 607. FIG. 20(b) is across-sectional view taken on line I—I in the arrow direction of FIG.20(a). FIG. 20(c) is a cross-sectional view taken on line II—II in thearrow direction of FIG. 20(a).

FIG. 21 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the door isabout to be closed while the case body is left inside the insertionportion in the adapter according to the third embodiment.

FIG. 22 is a schematic plan view showing an operating state of a meansfor releasing the opening/closing-cover holding means of the adapteraccording to the third embodiment (wherein the upper case and theshutter are removed so that the internal structure can be seen).

FIG. 23 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing adisk-positioning member with a door being opened in the adapteraccording to the third embodiment.

FIG. 24 is a partially enlarged plan view showing the disk-positioningmember with the door being opened in the adapter according to the thirdembodiment.

FIG. 25 is a schematic plan view showing an operating state of a meansfor locking the means for releasing the opening/closing-cover holdingmeans of the adapter according to the third embodiment (wherein theupper case and the shutter are removed so that the internal structurecan be seen).

FIG. 26 is a partially enlarged schematic perspective view showing anoperating state of the means for locking the means for releasing theopening/closing-cover holding means of the adapter according to thethird embodiment.

FIG. 27 is a partially enlarged perspective view showing thedisk-positioning member with the door being closed in the adapteraccording to the third embodiment.

FIG. 28 is a partially enlarged plan view showing the disk-positioningmember with the door being closed in the adapter according to the thirdembodiment.

FIG. 29 is a schematic perspective view showing a state in which theopening/closing cover and a disk are accommodated in the adapteraccording to the third embodiment and the shutter is opened.

FIG. 30 is a partial cross-sectional view taken on line III—III in thearrow direction of FIG. 29.

FIG. 31 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of a diskcartridge according to a fourth embodiment.

FIG. 32 is an exploded perspective view showing schematic shapes of themain components of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 31.

FIG. 33 is a perspective view showing a schematic shape of anopening/closing cover that is one of the components of the diskcartridge shown in FIG. 31.

FIG. 34 is a schematic plan view showing the disk cartridge shown inFIG. 31 with a disk being held by a disk holding member duringwithdrawing its opening/closing cover.

FIG. 35 is a schematic plan view showing the disk cartridge shown inFIG. 31 with its opening/closing cover being drawn out and with the diskbeing about to be removed from a case body.

FIG. 36 is a perspective view showing a schematic shape of a movablepiece of the case body of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 31.

FIG. 37 shows cross-sectional perspective views illustrating a thirdlocking means of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 31. FIG. 37(a) showsthe same in a locked state, and FIG. 37(b) shows the same in an unlockedstate.

FIG. 38 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a grip portion of thedisk cartridge shown in FIG. 31.

FIG. 39 is an entire perspective view showing the appearance of anadapter according to a fifth embodiment.

FIG. 40 is a schematic plan view showing an internal structure of theadapter shown in FIG. 39 by removing an upper half and a shutter.

FIG. 41 is an exploded perspective view showing components of theadapter shown in FIG. 39.

FIG. 42 is a schematic plan view showing the adapter shown in FIG. 39with its door being opened and with the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 31being inserted into an insertion portion (wherein the upper half and theshutter are removed so that the internal structure can be seen).

FIG. 43 is a schematic plan view showing the adapter illustrated in FIG.39 with its door being opened and the disk cartridge illustrated in FIG.31 that is inserted into the insertion portion in a state in which afirst unlocking means, a third unlocking means and a firstopening/closing-cover holding means can be operated by operating anoperating member (wherein the upper half and the shutter are removed sothat the internal structure can be seen).

FIG. 44 is a partial plan view showing the operating member, anopening/closing cover, and a gear when the operating member of theadapter shown in FIG. 39 is operated and the first unlocking means, thethird unlocking means, and the first opening/closing-cover holding meansare operated.

FIG. 45 is a schematic plan view showing the adapter shown in FIG. 39when a case body is drawn out after an operation of a secondopening/closing-cover holding means, or when the case body is insertedinto the adapter while the second opening/closing-cover holding means isoperated (wherein the upper half and the shutter are removed so that theinternal structure can be seen).

FIG. 46 is a schematic plan view showing the adapter shown in FIG. 39when the opening/closing cover of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 31 isheld by the second opening/closing-cover holding means and the case bodyis removed (wherein the upper half and the shutter are removed so thatthe internal structure can be seen).

FIG. 47 is a schematic plan view showing the adapter shown in FIG. 39when the door is closed in the state shown FIG. 46 (wherein the upperhalf and the shutter are removed so that the internal structure can beseen).

FIG. 48 shows partially enlarged views for explaining an operating stateof the third unlocking means of the adapter shown in FIG. 39. FIG. 48(a)is a schematic perspective view showing a state before an unlockingoperation. FIG. 48(b) is a plan view showing the state before theunlocking operation. FIG. 48(c) is a plan view showing a state duringthe unlocking operation.

FIG. 49 is a schematic perspective view showing a disk-positioningmember that is one of the components of the adapter shown in FIG. 39.

FIG. 50 is a side view of the disk-positioning member of FIG. 49.

FIG. 51 is a schematic perspective view illustrating an example of aconventional method of recording, reproducing and erasing information ina smaller-size disk cartridge using a drive unit designed for alarger-size disk cartridge via an adapter.

FIG. 52 is a perspective structural view showing an example of a diskcartridge according to an embodiment of the present second invention.

FIG. 53 is a perspective structural view showing the disk cartridgeshown in FIG. 52 when a shutter is opened.

FIG. 54 shows plan views illustrating an opening/closing operation ofthe shutter of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 52 by a shutter opener.FIG. 54(a) shows a state before the disk cartridge comes into contactwith the shutter opener. FIG. 54(b) shows a state at the moment the diskcartridge comes into contact with the shutter opener. FIG. 54(c) shows astate during opening of the shutter. FIG. 54(d) shows a state when theshutter is opened completely.

FIG. 55 is an enlarged perspective structural view of a connectingportion of a shutter and a guide portion of the disk cartridge shown inFIG. 52.

FIG. 56 shows plan views illustrating an operation of the disk cartridgeand the shutter opener when the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 52 isinserted into a drive unit with its front side back. FIG. 56(a) shows astate before the shutter opener comes into contact with the cartridge.FIG. 56(b) shows a state in which the shutter opener is in contact withthe cartridge.

FIG. 56(c) shows a state in which the shutter opener engages with aretaining portion.

FIG. 57 shows plan views illustrating an operation of the engagementbetween the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 52 and a disk cartridgechucking mechanism in a changer. FIGS. 57(a) and (b) show a state beforethe chucking and a state in which the chucking mechanism is operated,respectively.

FIG. 58 is a perspective structural view showing an opened state (when adisk is about to be ejected) of a cover for ejecting a disk of the diskcartridge shown in FIG. 52.

FIG. 59 is a perspective structural view showing a disk cartridgeaccording to another embodiment of the present second invention.

FIG. 60 is a perspective structural view showing a disk cartridgeaccording to further embodiment of the present second invention.

FIG. 61 is a perspective structural view showing a conventional diskcartridge.

FIG. 62 is a perspective structural view illustrating a state in which ashutter of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 61 is opened.

FIG. 63 is an enlarged perspective structural view showing the vicinityof the shutter of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 61.

FIG. 64 shows front views illustrating a configuration of a diskcartridge according to a seventh embodiment of the present thirdinvention.

FIG. 65 shows front views illustrating a configuration of a diskcartridge according to an eighth embodiment of the present thirdinvention.

FIG. 66 shows front views illustrating another configuration of the diskcartridge according to the eighth embodiment of the present thirdinvention.

FIG. 67 shows front views illustrating a configuration of a diskcartridge according to a ninth embodiment of the present thirdinvention.

FIG. 68 shows front views illustrating a configuration of a conventionaldisk cartridge.

FIG. 69 shows front views illustrating a configuration of a conventionaldisk cartridge for a small-diameter disk.

FIG. 70 is a view showing components for explaining factors thatdetermine a size of a cartridge in its width direction.

BEST EMBODIMENTS FOR ENABLING THE INVENTION

First Invention

A disk cartridge and an adapter of the present first invention will beexplained with reference to the drawings as follows.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of anexample of a disk cartridge according to a first embodiment of thepresent invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showingschematic shapes of the main components of the disk cartridge shown inFIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing the disk cartridge shownin FIG. 1 during the assembly or when an opening/closing cover iswithdrawn.

As shown in FIGS. 1-3, a disk cartridge 100 according to the firstembodiment of the present invention comprises a case body 101 and anopening/closing cover 201 that is accommodated in the case body 101 in awithdrawable state.

The case body 101 is provided with an opening 102 into or from which adisc-shaped recording medium (hereafter also referred to simply as a“disk”) 10 is inserted or ejected and a disk-storage portion 103 forminga space where the disk 10 is accommodated. The disk-storage portion 103is provided adjoining the opening 102.

The opening/closing cover 201 has a pair of disk holding members 202that adjust the position of the disk 10 in its inplane direction andmaintain the disk 10. The disk holding members 202 have shapes in whichportions 202 a corresponding to the vicinity of the maximum width(diameter) portions of the disk 10 are curved outwards and their endsare curved inwards respectively as shown in FIG. 3. On the other hand,inner walls 104, opposed in a disk-diameter direction of a disk-storageportion 103 of the case body 101, are formed so that a space between theinner walls 104 is slightly widened in a back portion and a spacebetween them in the vicinity of the opening 102 is narrowed as shown inFIG. 3. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, in the case of trying to withdrawthe opening/closing cover 201 when the opening/closing cover 201 coversthe opening 102 of the case body 101 completely, the portions 202 a thatare curved outwards in the disk holding members 202 of theopening/closing cover 201 come into contact with the inner walls 104 ofthe disk-storage portion 103 of the case body 101. Then, the portions202 a are elastically deformed so as to move toward each other, i.e. soas to hold the disk 10 in its inplane direction. Consequently, the endsof the disk holding members 202 hold the accommodated disk 10 withoutfail. Thus, the disk 10 can be ejected together with the opening/closingcover 201 in the state shown in FIG. 3.

The case body 101 has a head access opening 180 so that a head forrecording information on the disk 10 or reproducing or erasinginformation recorded on the disk 10 can scan a disk surface. Further,the case body 101 comprises a shutter 181 for covering the head accessopening 180 and an elastic spring 182 for maintaining the state in whichthe shutter 181 is closed when the disk cartridge is not loaded in adrive unit. In addition, the case body 101 has a belt opener 183 that isoperated together with the shutter 181, and an opener hook 184 that isprovided at an end of the belt opener 183 and that is held by the driveunit when the drive unit opens and closes the shutter 181. Moreover, thecase body 101 has a positioning hole 185 for positioning the diskcartridge when the disk cartridge is loaded in the drive unit.

The external shape and size of the disk cartridge 100 including the casebody 101, the head access opening 180, the shutter 181, and the like aredesigned so as to secure the perfect compatibility with a disk cartridgestandardized for the accommodated disk 10. Therefore, the disk cartridge100 shown in FIG. 1 can be loaded in a conventional disk drive unitprepared for a disk cartridge accommodating the disk 10 without anymodification, and then information can be recorded, reproduced, anderased.

When the opening/closing cover 201 is accommodated in the case body 101completely (FIG. 1), the portions 202 a of the disk holding members 202that are curved outwards come into contact with the portions of theinner walls 104 where the space between the opposed inner walls 104 ofthe disk-storage portion 103 of the case body is widened. Consequently,the disk 10 does not come into contact with the disk holding members 202even when the disk 10 is rotated in a drive unit.

Further, the disk holding members 202 are not formed in a continuousshape (a circle) surrounding the whole periphery of the disk but withtwo components by cutting an end away. Thus, the disk holding members202 are not present inside the head access opening 180, and therefore ahead and the disk holding members do not bump together.

As described above, the disk cartridge of the present inventionmaintains the compatibility with a conventional disk cartridgestandardized for an accommodated disk. On the other hand, the diskcartridge has a configuration in which the accommodated disk can beejected together with the opening/closing cover 201. By loading the diskinto the adapter to be described later, information can be recorded,reproduced, and erased in a drive unit designed for a larger-size diskcartridge.

In the disk cartridge of the present invention, it is preferable that afirst locking means is formed for holding and fixing the opening/closingcover 201 to the case body 101 at a position where the opening/closingcover 201 is accommodated in the case body 101 and covers the opening102 completely,

The first locking means is provided for preventing the opening/closingcover 201 from being withdrawn from the case body 101 at an undesiredtime. The first locking means prevents the accommodated disk from beingexposed accidentally and avoids scratches on the disk and adhesion ofdirt onto the disk.

In the case of the disk cartridge according to the present embodiment,the first locking means comprises locking holes 105 and first lockingprojections 203. The respective locking holes 105 are formed in thevicinity of the opening 102 of the opposed inner walls 104 forming apart of the disk-storage portion 103 of the case body. The first lockingprojections 203 are formed in the opening/closing cover 201 so as toengage with the locking holes 105 respectively at the position where theopening/closing cover 201 is accommodated in the case body 101 andcovers the opening 102 completely.

The case body 101 and the opening/closing cover 201 are locked by thefirst locking means as follows. The opening/closing cover 201 isinserted. into the disk-storage portion 103 of the case body 101 fromthe state shown in FIG. 3. When the first locking projections 203 reachthe opening 102 of the case body 101, the first locking projections 203come into contact with opening corners of the inner walls 104. Due toslopes formed in the contact portion side of the first lockingprojections 203, hinges 204 are elastically deformed inwards. Then, theopening/closing cover 201 is further inserted while the first lockingprojections 203 are in contact with the inner walls 104. When the firstlocking projections 203 reach the locking holes 105, the hinges 204 areelastically restored and the first locking projections 203 engage withthe locking holes 105 to complete the lock (FIG. 1).

On the other hand, the first locking means is unlocked as follows.

When the disk cartridge locked as shown in FIG. 1 is inserted to apredetermined position inside an adapter of the present inventiondescribed later, first unlocking claws 205 that are elasticallydisplaced together with the first locking projections 203 provided atthe portions of hinges 204 come into contact with a first unlockingmeans (first unlocking bars 606) of the adapter described later. Then,the inclined surfaces formed at the ends of the first unlocking meanswith an acute angle provide external forces to both the first unlockingclaws 205 in a direction of the inward displacement, and the hinges 204are elastically deformed. As a result, the engagement between the firstlocking projections 203 and the locking holes 105 is released.

In the disk cartridge according to the present embodiment, the lockingholes 105 are through holes leading to the outside of the case body 101.Therefore, it is possible to release the engagement between the firstlocking projections 203 and the locking holes 105 by inserting a pointedstick into the through holes from the outside of the case body.

Further, in the disk cartridge according to the present embodiment,first unlocking knobs 206 that are elastically displaced together withthe first locking projections 203 provided at the portions of the hinges204 are formed so as to be exposed to the outside of the case body in alocked state (see FIG. 1). Therefore, by holding both the firstunlocking knobs 206 from the outside toward the inside so as to movetoward each other, the hinges 204 are elastically deformed, thusreleasing the engagement between the first locking projections 203 andthe locking holes 105.

Thus, by allowing the first locking means to be unlocked even in thecases other than the case where the disk cartridge is inserted into theadapter described later, a user can eject an accommodated disk to check,clean or change it as required.

As shown in FIG. 3, it is preferable that the disk cartridge accordingto the present embodiment comprises a second locking means for limitingthe movement of the opening/closing cover 201 in its withdrawaldirection at a position where the disk 10 can be ejected by withdrawingthe opening/closing cover 201 from the case body 101.

As described above, in the disk cartridge in which a user can unlock thefirst locking means, withdraw the opening/closing cover 201, and ejectthe accommodated disk 10, it is desirable that a safety mechanism forpreventing the opening/closing cover 201 and the disk 10 from beingdropped accidentally is provided. The second locking means functions forthis effectively.

In the disk cartridge according to the present embodiment, the secondlocking means comprises the locking holes 105 and second lockingprojections 207. The locking holes 105 are formed on the respectiveopposed inner walls 104 in the vicinity of the opening 102. The opposedinner walls form a part of the disk-storage portion 103 of the casebody. The second locking projections 207 are formed at the ends of thedisk holding members 202 of the opening/closing cover 201 so as toengage with the locking holes 105 respectively at the positions wherethe opening/closing cover 201 is withdrawn so that the accommodated disk10 can be ejected.

The second locking means can lock the opening/closing cover 201 in itswithdrawal direction as follows. When the opening/closing cover 201 iswithdrawn from the case body 101 from the state shown in FIG. 1, asdescribed above, the portions 202 a that are curved outwards of the diskholding members 202 of the opening/closing cover 201 come into contactwith the inner walls 104 of the disk-storage portion 103 of the casebody 101, and the opening/closing cover 201 is withdrawn with theportions 202 a being elastically deformed so as to move toward eachother. However, after the portions 202 a of the disk holding members 202that are curved outwards are drawn out from the case body, theopening/closing cover 201 is withdrawn with the second lockingprojections 207 formed at the ends of the disk holding members 202 beingin contact with the inner walls 104. When the second locking projections207 reach the locking holes 105, the disk holding members 202 areelastically restored. Then, the second locking projections 207 engagewith the locking holes 105, thus limiting the further withdrawal of theopening/closing cover 201 (FIG. 3). Thus, a user cannot draw out theopening/closing cover 201 by gathering momentum and therefore theopening/closing cover 201 and the disk 10 cannot be droppedaccidentally.

On the other hand, the second locking means are unlocked as follows.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the second locking means functions, by holdingboth the disk holding members 202 from the outside toward the inside soas to move toward each other, the disk holding members 202 areelastically deformed, thus releasing the engagement between the secondlocking projections 207 and the locking holes 105.

The second locking projections 207 are provided with a slope so as tohave an acute angle at their ends as shown in the figure. Therefore,when the opening/closing cover 201 is inserted into the opening 102 ofthe case body 101, or when the opening/closing cover 201 is furtherinserted from the state in which the second locking projections 207 andthe locking holes 105 are engaged with each other as shown in FIG. 3,both the disk holding members 202 are easily deformed elastically in thedirection moving toward each other due to the slope. Consequently,second locking projections 207 do not hinder the insertion of theopening/closing cover 201.

Further, in the disk cartridge of the present embodiment, the lockingholes 105 are used as both the locking holes engaging with the firstlocking projections 203 and the locking holes engaging with the secondlocking projections 207 as common locking holes. Therefore, theconfiguration can be simplified. Needless to say, there will be noproblem even when the respective locking holes are provided separately.

In the disk cartridge of the present embodiment, it is preferable thatthe opening/closing cover 201 can be elastically deformed in thedirection substantially perpendicular to a disk surface when themovement of the opening/closing cover 201 is limited in its withdrawaldirection due to the function of the second locking means. FIG. 4 showsschematic views illustrating the state in which the movement of theopening/closing cover is limited in its withdrawal direction by thesecond locking means in the disk cartridge according to the presentembodiment having such a configuration as described above. FIG. 4(a) isa plan view and FIG. 4(b) is a side view thereof. As shown in FIG. 4(b),the disk holding members 202 can be elastically deformed in thedirection substantially perpendicular to a surface of the disk 10.Consequently, a user can eject the disk 10 easily.

In the disk cartridge according to the present embodiment, it ispreferable that third locking means is provided for holding and fixingthe opening/closing cover 201 to the case body 101 at the position wherethe opening/closing cover 201 is accommodated in the case body 101completely and the opening 102 is covered. Further, it is preferablethat the held and fixed state of the opening/closing cover 201 by thethird locking means can be released by applying external force, but thestate can be released only in an irreversible manner, i.e. once thestate is released, it is not possible to recover the original state,which differs from the case of the first locking means.

Essentially, it is not desirable for a user to eject a disk accommodatedin a disk cartridge in order to avoid adhesion of dirt and scratches,which is different from a disk having the premise that the disk ishandled in a bare condition. The disk cartridge of the presentembodiment is provided with a mechanism for unlocking the first lockingmeans. Only a predetermined operation by a user enables the unlocking.However, it may be possible even for a user who does not intend to ejectthe disk to unlock the first locking means unintentionally duringhandling the disk cartridge. The third locking means provides a meansfor preventing the first locking means from being unlockedunintentionally. Therefore, the third locking mans must not have aconfiguration in which the third locking means can be unlockedunintentionally in an ordinal condition of use. In addition, only theapplication of external force enables the unlocking.

Further, it is preferable that the unlocking of the third locking meanscan be confirmed easily when the third locking means has been released.When the unlocking is confirmed in a disk cartridge, it means that adisk accommodated in the disk cartridge is exposed to the outside atleast once by a user. Therefore, a user can surmise easily that the diskmay have lower reliability of information than that in a disk cartridgein which a locking means has not been unlocked. The unlocking of thethird locking means in this case does not include the unlocking inloading the opening/closing cover into the adapter described later.According to the present invention, a user can insert theopening/closing cover into the adapter without touching a disk at all.Consequently, the decrease in the reliability of information recorded onthe disk due to the unlocking of the third locking means in this case isin an ignorable degree.

An example of a configuration of such a third locking means will beexplained with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5 is a partialcross-sectional perspective view showing an enlarged third locking meansof the opening/closing cover according to the present embodiment. FIG. 6shows partial cross-sectional perspective views illustrating an enlargedthird locking means of the disk cartridge according to the presentembodiment.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6(a), the third locking means according to thepresent embodiment comprises a third locking hole 106 and a thirdlocking projection 209. The third locking hole 106 is formed in thevicinity of the opening 102 of the case body 101 so as to go throughfrom an upper surface to a lower surface of the case body 101. The thirdlocking projection 209 is formed in the opening/closing cover 201 so asto engage with the third locking hole 106 at the position where theopening/closing cover 201 is accommodated in the case body 101 to coverthe opening 102 completely. More particularly, a lock key 208 is formedat a predetermined position in the opening/closing cover 201 viaconnecting portions 210 so as to be combined with the opening/closingcover 201 to be one component and so as to project from the uppersurface and the lower surface of the opening/closing cover 201. Theparts projecting from the opening/closing cover 201 of the lock key 208form the third locking projection 209. The connecting portions 210 areformed so as to bridge between respective substantial centers of foursurfaces of the lock key 208 and inner-wall faces of the opening/closingcover 208 surrounding the lock key 208 (see FIG. 20 described later).

The third locking means can be unlocked as follows.

In the state shown in FIG. 6(a), a predetermined external force (shownby an arrow F in FIG. 5) is applied so as to push the third lockingprojection 209 positioned within the locking hole 106. As a result, theconnecting portions 210 are disconnected and therefore the lock key 208is removed to the outside through the third locking hole 106 in thelower surface as shown in FIG. 6(b), thus unlocking the third lockingmeans. In FIG. 6(b), a numeral 210′ indicates disconnected surfaces ofthe connecting portions 210. Further, by unlocking the first lockingmeans, it is possible to draw out the opening/closing cover 201 from thecase body 101 as shown in FIG. 7.

When the third locking means is unlocked as described above, the lockkey 208 is removed to the outside. Therefore, it is not possible torecover the state before the unlocking. In addition, when theopening/closing cover 201 is accommodated in the case body 101, thethird locking projection is not present within the third locking hole106 and therefore it is possible to see the opposite side through thethird locking hole 106. Consequently, a user can easily confirm that thethird locking means has been unlocked before.

The unlocking of the third locking projection is also possible in areversible manner by fitting a convex part (a third unlocking projection607) of the third unlocking means of the adapter according to thepresent invention described later into a concave part 213 formed in thevicinity of the third locking means without using the above-mentionedirreversible means in which the lock key 208 is removed.

It is preferable to provide an erroneous-insertion preventing means sothat the opening/closing cover 201 is inserted into the case body 101with the correct orientation when being inserted into the disk-storageportion 103 of the case body 101 again after having been drawn out fromthe case body 101 as described above. It is preferable that theerroneous-insertion preventing means is formed so that theopening/closing cover 201 cannot be inserted into the opening 102 of thecase body 101 at all when the opening/closing cover 201 is inserted withwrong orientation or even if the opening/closing cover 201 can beinserted into the opening 102 to some extent, the opening/closing cover201 cannot be inserted into the case body 101 completely, thus findingout the insertion with wrong orientation easily.

The means for preventing the erroneous insertion of the opening/closingcover into the case body in the disk cartridge according to the presentembodiment is formed of engagement members comprising notches 107 and108 provided on the end faces of the opening 102 of the case body 101and erroneous-insertion preventing projections 211 and 212 provided atpredetermined positions of the opening/closing cover 201 as shown inFIG. 2.

When the opening/closing cover 201 is inserted into the case body 101with correct orientation, the notches 107 and 108 engage with theerroneous-insertion preventing projections 211 and 212, respectively.Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, the opening/closing cover 201 is accommodatedin the case body 101 completely and covers the opening 102.

On the other hand, when the opening/closing cover 201 is inserted intothe case body 101 upside down with respect to the opening/closing cover201, the insertion of the opening/closing cover 201 is possible to someextent, but the opening/closing cover 201 cannot be accommodated in thecase body 101 completely as shown in FIG. 8 due to the difference indepth between the notches 107 and 108. Thus, a user can easily noticethe insertion with wrong orientation.

In the example described above, the engagement members are formed inasymmetrical shapes with respect to the center line of the case body inthe insertion direction of the opening/closing cover 201 into thedisk-storage portion. However, the erroneous-insertion preventing meansis not limited to this. For instance, the engagement members may beformed at asymmetrical positions with respect to the center line.

The disk cartridge of the present invention is inserted into the adapterdescribed later to be used. In this case, it is preferable to provide ameans for preventing erroneous insertion of the disk cartridge into theadapter so that the disk cartridge can be inserted with correctorientation. It is preferable that such an erroneous-insertionpreventing means is formed so that the cartridge cannot be inserted intothe adapter at all when being inserted with wrong orientation, or evenif the cartridge can be inserted into the adapter to some extent, thecartridge cannot be inserted to a predetermined position, thus easilyfinding out the insertion with wrong orientation.

The means for preventing erroneous insertion of the disk cartridge intothe adapter according to the present embodiment comprises a concave part213 formed on the leading end face of the disk cartridge in theinsertion direction into the adapter as shown in FIG. 1 and at anasymmetrical position with respect to the center line in the insertiondirection and a convex part (the erroneous-insertion preventingprojection 607) formed inside the insertion portion of the adapter thatengages with the concave part 213.

When the disk cartridge 100 is inserted into the adapter described laterwith correct orientation, the convex part formed inside the insertionportion of the adapter engages with the concave part 213 formed on theleading end face of the disk cartridge 100 in the insertion direction.Thus, the cartridge 100 can be inserted to a predetermined position inthe adapter reliably.

On the other hand, when the disk cartridge 100 is inserted into theadapter upside down, the insertion of the disk cartridge 100 is possibleto some extent, but the convex part formed inside the insertion portionof the adapter comes into contact with the leading end face of the diskcartridge 100 in the insertion direction and therefore further insertionof the disk cartridge 100 is not possible. Thus, a user can noticeeasily that the disk cartridge is inserted upside down.

In the example described above, the concave part is formed at theasymmetrical position with respect to the center line of the diskcartridge in the insertion direction. However, the erroneous-insertionpreventing means is not limited to this. For example, in theerroneous-insertion preventing means, the concave part may be formed inan asymmetrical shape with respect to the center line in the insertiondirection.

Further, it is preferable that the space between the ends of the pair ofdisk holding members 202 is smaller than a disk diameter in order toprevent the disk 10 from falling off from the opening of the insertionportion of the adapter accidentally when the opening/closing cover 201and the disk 10 are loaded in the insertion portion of the adapter bythe method described later and the door of the adapter is not closed(see FIG. 19).

Moreover, hooks 214 that engage with an opening/closing-cover holdingmeans of the adapter described later are formed in the opening/closingcover 201.

Second Embodiment

Next, a disk cartridge according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention will be explained. FIG. 9 is a schematic perspective viewshowing the appearance of an example of the disk cartridge according tothe second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is an explodedperspective view showing schematic shapes of the main components of thedisk cartridge shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 11 is a schematic plan view showinga state during the assembly of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 9 or astate in which an opening/closing cover is withdrawn.

In FIGS. 9-11, a numeral 300 indicates a disk cartridge according to thepresent embodiment, and numerals 301 and 401 indicate a case body and anopening/closing cover, respectively. Other members having the samefunction as in the first embodiment are indicated with the samecharacters as in the first embodiment. The explanations for them areomitted here to avoid duplicate explanations.

The disk cartridge according to the second embodiment is different fromthe disk cartridge according to the first embodiment in that the formeris designed assuming the case where a user ejects an accommodated diskby himself and on the other hand the latter is not designed assumingsuch a case. That is to say, in the disk cartridge according to thesecond embodiment, by avoiding the case where a user ejects anaccommodated disk by himself, the possibility of scratching the disk oradhesion of foreign objects onto the disk is eliminated to the utmost,thus obtaining high reliability of recorded information and highdurability of the disk.

Thus, in the disk cartridge according to the first embodiment, thecomponents provided assuming the case where a user ejects theaccommodated disk by himself are eliminated in the disk cartridgeaccording to the second embodiment. Except for those components, thedisk cartridge according to the second embodiment has the sameconfiguration as that of the disk cartridge according to the firstembodiment.

The components eliminated in the disk cartridge according to the secondembodiment are those relating to the unlocking of the first lockingmeans, those relating to the second locking means, and those relating tothe third locking means in the disk cartridge according to the firstembodiment. Those will be explained sequentially as follows.

The disk cartridge according to the second embodiment does not comprisesome of the components relating to the unlocking of the first lockingmeans of the disk cartridge according to the first embodiment. That is,the disk cartridge according to the second embodiment does not havefirst unlocking knobs (the first unlocking knobs 206 in the firstembodiment) that are elastically deformed together with the firstlocking projections 203 provided at the portions of the hinges 204. Inthe disk cartridge according to the second embodiment, locking holes 105are through holes leading to the outside of a case body. Consequently,it is possible to release the engagement between the first lockingprojections 203 and the locking holes 105 by inserting a pointed stickinto the through holes from the outside of the case body in emergency.

The disk cartridge according to the second embodiment does not comprisethe components relating to the second locking means included in the diskcartridge according to the first embodiment. That is, the disk cartridgeaccording to the second embodiment does not have second lockingprojections (the second locking projections 207 in the first embodiment)engaging with the locking holes 105 provided at the ends of disk holdingmembers 202 of an opening/closing cover 201. Since it is not assumedthat a user draws out the opening/closing cover 201 by himself, it isnot necessary to provide a safety mechanism for preventing theopening/closing cover 201 and an accommodated disk 10 from being droppedaccidentally.

The disk cartridge according to the second embodiment does not comprisethe components relating to the third locking means included in the diskcartridge according to the first embodiment. That is to say, the diskcartridge according to the second embodiment does not have the thirdlocking hole 106, the third locking projection 209 engaging with thethird locking hole 106, the lock key 208 forming the third lockingprojection 209, and the connecting portions 210 connecting theopening/closing cover 201 and the lock key 208 included in the diskcartridge according to the first embodiment. In the present embodiment,since the first unlocking knobs 206 are not provided, it is not assumedthat a user unlocks the first locking means accidentally in an ordinarycondition of use.

The configurations other than those described above in the presentembodiment are the same as those in the previously described firstembodiment. Therefore, detailed explanation of the present embodiment isomitted except for those described above.

Third Embodiment

An adapter according to the third embodiment of the present inventionwill be explained.

The method of using the adapter according to the third embodiment of thepresent invention will be described as follows. When a user inserts thedisk cartridge described in the first or second embodiment into theadapter according to the third embodiment, the disk is shifted into theadapter. The adapter has compatibility in external shape with a largerdisk cartridge than the disk cartridge described in the first and secondembodiments. Therefore, by loading the adapter accommodating the diskthat has been shifted into the adapter into a drive unit that issuitable for the adapter, it is possible to record information on thedisk or to read out or erase recorded information from the disk. Thatis, needless to say, when a user has a drive unit designed for the diskcartridge having compatibility in external shape with the adapteraccording to the third embodiment of the present invention, recording,reproduction and erasure of information are possible by loading a diskcartridge suitable for the drive unit into the drive unit. In addition,when using the adapter according to the third embodiment of the presentinvention, information can be recorded, reproduced, and erased byloading a disk accommodated in a smaller disk cartridge into the driveunit via the adapter.

Moreover, the disk can be shifted into the adapter without being toucheddirectly by a user. Therefore, the possibility of adhesion of foreignobjects onto the disk or scratching the disk can be avoided, thussecuring the reliability of information and durability of the disk.

The adapter according to the third embodiment of the present inventionwill be explained with reference to the drawings as follows.

FIG. 12 is an entire perspective view showing the appearance of anexample of the adapter according to the third embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 13 is a schematic plan view showing the internalstructure after removing an upper case and a shutter of the adaptershown in FIG. 12. FIG. 14 is an exploded schematic perspective viewshowing components (except for the upper case and the shutter) of theadapter shown in FIG. 12.

An adapter 500 of the present embodiment is formed by engaging an uppercase 501 and a lower case 601 with each other. The adapter 500 comprisesan insertion portion 602 to be a space where a disk cartridge isinserted. The insertion portion 602 is surrounded by inner walls of theupper case 501 and the lower case 601, a pair of opposed guide walls604, and a pair of contact walls 605 formed on the lower case. Further,a door 510 capable of being opened and closed is provided at theentrance of the insertion portion 602. Head access openings 502 and 603are formed in the upper case 501 and the lower case 601 respectively inorder to allow a disk surface to be scanned by a head for recordinginformation on or reproducing or erasing recorded information from adisk accommodated in the adapter. The adapter 500 further comprises ashutter 503 for covering the head access openings and an elastic spring(not shown in the figures) for maintaining the shutter 503 in a closedstate when the adapter is not loaded on the drive unit.

An outline of a method of loading a disk into the adapter according tothe third embodiment of the present invention will be explained usingFIGS. 15-19 as follows. The disk cartridge shown in the figures is theone explained in the first embodiment. Needless to say, the adapter ofthe present embodiment also can be used for the disk cartridge describedin the second embodiment.

The disk cartridge 100 described in the above embodiment is insertedinto the insertion portion 602 with the entrance 102 of the case body101 facing forward after the door 510 is opened (FIG. 15).

The disk cartridge 100 is guided by the opposed guide walls 604 and therespective inner walls of the upper case 501 and the lower case 601 andis inserted to the vicinity of a position where its end face comes intocontact with the contact walls 605 (FIG. 16). Then, a first unlockingmeans operates for unlocking the first locking means that holds andfixes the opening/closing cover 201 of the disk cartridge to the casebody 101, resulting in the state in which the opening/closing cover 201can be withdrawn from the case body 101. In the case of the diskcartridge according to the first embodiment having the third lockingmeans, the third locking means is unlocked in a reversible manner by athird unlocking means provided in the adapter 500. Further, theopening/closing cover 201 under such a state is retained in the adapterby an opening/closing-cover holding means provided in the adapter 500.The opening/closing-cover holding means maintains the opening/closingcover 201 at a predetermined position in the insertion portion 602 evenafter the case body 101 has been drawn out. In this case, the disk 10accommodated in the disk cartridge 100 is drawn out from the case body101 together with the opening/closing cover 201 by the pair of diskholding members 202 provided in the opening/closing cover 201, thusremaining inside the insertion portion 602 of the adapter.

Then, the case body 101 is drawn out from the insertion portion 602. Inthe case of the disk cartridge according to the first embodiment havingthe second locking means, the second locking means is unlocked by asecond unlocking means provided in the adapter 500 (FIG. 17).Consequently, it is possible to separate the case body 101 and theopening/closing cover 201 completely.

The opening/closing cover 201 and the disk 10 held by theopening/closing cover 201 are left in the insertion portion 602, and thecase body 101 is drawn out from the insertion portion 602 completely(FIG. 18). Then, the door 510 is closed (FIG. 19).

Thus, when the adapter 500 is loaded in a drive unit designed for a diskcartridge having compatibility in external shape with the adapter, it ispossible to record information on or reproduce or erase recordedinformation from the disk accommodated in the adapter.

The configuration and function of the above will be explainedsequentially as follows.

The first unlocking means of the present invention comprises a pair offirst unlocking bars 606 formed on the contact walls 605 as shown inFIG. 13. The first unlocking bars 606 are provided at the positionscoming into contact with the pair of first unlocking claws 205 (see FIG.3) formed on the end face of the opening/closing cover 201 when the diskcartridge is inserted into the insertion portion 602. The points of thefirst unlocking bars 606 have a slope with an acute angle. Therefore,the slopes with an acute angle provided at the points of the firstunlocking bars 606 come into contact with the slopes with an acute angleprovided at the points of the first unlocking claws 205, which generatesexternal force so as to displace the pair of first unlocking claws 205inwards. As a result, the portions of hinges 204 are elasticallydeformed (see FIG. 17), and then the first locking projections 203 aredisplaced together with the first unlocking claws 205, thus releasingthe respective engagement between the first locking projections 203 andthe locking holes 105.

The first unlocking means of the present invention is a required elementfor separating the opening/closing cover from the case body by unlockingthe lock in a disk cartridge having the first locking means as in thefirst and second embodiments.

Next, the third unlocking means of the adapter according to the thirdembodiment of the present invention will be explained.

The third unlocking means is a required element for separating theopening/closing cover from the case body by unlocking the lock in thedisk cartridge having the third locking means according to the firstembodiment of the present invention. It is necessary to unlock the thirdlocking means by the third unlocking means in a reversible manner, whichis different from the irreversible method of removing the lock key 208described above.

The third unlocking means of the present invention is formed of a thirdunlocking projection 607 formed on the contact wall 605 as shown in FIG.13.

FIG. 20 shows partially enlarged views for explaining an operating stateof the third unlocking means of the present invention. FIG. 20(a) is apartial cross-sectional view taken on a plane that is perpendicular to adisk surface and passes through the center of the third unlockingprojection 607.

FIG. 20(b) is a cross-sectional view taken on line I—I in the arrowdirection of FIG. 20(a). FIG. 20(c) is a cross-sectional view taken online II—II in the arrow direction of FIG. 20(a).

The third unlocking projection 607 is positioned on the contact wall 605and at the position where the third unlocking projection 607 fits into aconcave part 213 formed in the vicinity of the third locking means onthe end face of the opening/closing cover 201 when a disk cartridge isinserted into the insertion portion 602. The third unlocking projection607 has a slope formed so that its point is narrower than its bottom asshown in FIG. 20(a). More particularly, the third unlocking projection607 is formed so that a width d1 of the point in the directionperpendicular to the disk surface is narrower than the distance betweenthe inner walls of the case body 101, and a width d2 of the bottom iswider than a length of the lock key 208. Therefore, when the diskcartridge is inserted into the insertion portion 602, the point of thethird unlocking projection 607 is inserted into the concave part 213.When the disk cartridge is further inserted, the inner walls of the casebody of the disk cartridge are elastically deformed by the bottom of thethird unlocking projection 607 so as to increase the distance betweenthe inner walls. In this case, the distance between the pair of lockingholes 106 formed in the vicinity of the concave part 213 of the casebody 101 also is increased and exceeds the length of the lock key 208 atlast. Consequently, the engagement between the locking holes 106 and thelock key 208 is released, thus unlocking the third locking means (seeFIGS. 20(a) and (c)).

As described above, the third locking means is unlocked by the thirdunlocking means utilizing the elastic deformation of the case body 101.Therefore, the unlocking does not cause disconnection of the connectingportions 210 connecting the lock key 208 and the opening/closing cover201, resulting in the unlocking in a reversible manner.

Next, a means for preventing erroneous insertion of the disk cartridgeaccording to the third embodiment of the present invention will beexplained.

It is preferable that a means for preventing erroneous insertion of thedisk cartridge is provided for the adapter of the present invention.When the means is provided for the adapter, a user cannot insert thedisk cartridge with wrong orientation at all or the disk cartridgecannot be inserted to a predetermined position even when being insertedto some extent. Thus, the insertion with wrong orientation can be foundeasily.

The means for preventing erroneous insertion of the disk cartridge intothe adapter according to the present embodiment is formed of anerroneous-insertion preventing projection 607 and the concave part 213.The projection 607 is formed on the contact wall 605 at an asymmetricalposition with respect to the center line of the disk cartridge in theinsertion direction into the adapter. The concave part 213 is formed onthe leading end face in the insertion direction of the disk cartridge sothat the projection 607 fits into the concave part 213 when the diskcartridge is inserted with correct orientation.

In the present embodiment, the erroneous-insertion preventing projection607 also has a function as the third unlocking projection 607 describedabove. However, needless to say, those may be provided separately.

When the disk cartridge is inserted into the insertion portion 602 withcorrect orientation, the erroneous-insertion preventing projection 607formed inside the insertion portion of the adapter is engaged with theconcave part 213 formed on the leading end face of the disk cartridge inits insertion direction, thus securing the insertion of the diskcartridge to the predetermined position in the adapter (FIG. 16).

On the other hand, when the disk cartridge is inserted into the adapterupside down, the insertion of the disk cartridge is possible to someextent. However, the erroneous-insertion preventing projection 607formed inside the insertion portion of the adapter comes into contactwith the leading end face of the disk cartridge in its insertiondirection. Therefore, the disk cartridge cannot be inserted any further.Thus, a user can easily recognize the insertion with wrong orientation.

In the example described above, the erroneous-insertion preventingprojection is formed at an asymmetrical position with respect to thecenter line of the disk cartridge in its insertion direction. However,the erroneous-insertion preventing means is not limited to this. Forexample, the erroneous-insertion preventing projection may be formed inan asymmetrical shape with respect to the center line in the insertiondirection.

Next, an opening/closing-cover holding means of the adapter according tothe third embodiment of the present invention will be explained.

The opening/closing-cover holding means of the present invention has afunction of retaining the opening/closing cover 201 inside the insertionportion 602 of the adapter after the release of the engagement with thecase body 101 by the first unlocking means and the third unlocking meansdescribed above and maintaining the opening/closing cover 201 at thepredetermined position inside the insertion portion 602 even after thecase body 101 has been drawn out.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the opening/closing-cover holding meanscomprises an opening/closing cover holding plate 701 that has holdinghooks 702 and is maintained in the lower case 601 movably to the rightand left on the paper showing FIG. 13 via guide pins 608, and a tensilespring 703 that provides force to the plate 701 in one direction (in theright direction on the paper showing FIG. 13) by its elasticity. Theholding hooks 702 are provided at positions corresponding to the hooks214 (see FIG. 3) formed on the end face of the opening/closing cover 201when the disk cartridge is inserted into the insertion portion 602. Asshown in FIG. 13, the point of each holding hook 702 has a slope formedwith an acute angle. Therefore, when the disk cartridge is inserted intothe insertion portion 602, first the slopes of the points of the holdinghooks 702 come into contact with the ends of the hooks 214 of theopening/closing cover 201. When the disk cartridge is further inserted,the slopes of the points of the holding hooks 702 move the plate 701 tothe left on the paper showing FIG. 13. Then the plate 701 is pulled backby the tensile spring 703, and thus the holding hooks 702 and the hooks214 engage with each other. Concurrently with this, both the firstlocking means and the third locking means are unlocked. Therefore, evenif the case body 101 is withdrawn from the insertion portion 602 afterthat, the opening/closing cover 201 is retained inside the insertionportion 602 (FIG. 17).

It is desirable that the opening/closing cover 201 held by theabove-mentioned plate 701 is maintained at a predetermined positioninside the insertion portion 602 stably. In the case where theopening/closing cover 201 is freely movable inside the insertion portion602, the opening/closing cover 201 comes into contact with the disk insome cases when the adapter is loaded in a drive unit and the disk isrotated. It also is desirable to maintain the relative position of theopening/closing cover 201 and the lower case 601 invariably andconstantly in order to secure the function of the second unlocking meansdescribed later. In order to realize this, the adapter according to thethird embodiment has a means for holding the opening/closing coverstably.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the means for holding the opening/closingcover stably comprises a press-rotating member 711 that is held on thelower case 601 rotatably around a guide pin 608 as its rotation center,and a tensile spring 713 providing force to the press-rotating member711 in one direction by its elasticity. Two pairs of each member areprovided. The press-rotating member 711 has a press portion 712 at anend. When the disk cartridge is inserted into the insertion portion 602,the press portion 712 comes into contact with the end face of theopening/closing cover-201 and presses the opening/closing cover 201 withthe tensile elasticity of the tensile spring 713 in the direction (inthe upper direction on the paper showing FIG. 13) of removing theopening/closing cover 201 from the insertion portion 602 Theopening/closing cover 201 is maintained stably at the predeterminedposition inside the insertion portion 602 by the pressure provided bythe press portion 712 and the opening/closing-cover holding means (seeFIGS. 17-19).

When the opening/closing cover 201 is drawn out together with the casebody as described later, the means for holding the opening/closing coverstably, which will be explained in detail later, provides the effectsthat the unlocked state of the opening/closing-cover holding means canbe recognized clearly and that the opening/closing cover 201 can bedrawn out easily.

Next, the second unlocking means of the adapter according to the thirdembodiment of the present invention will be explained.

The second unlocking means is a required element for separating theopening/closing cover from the case body completely by preventing thesecond locking means from functioning in the disk cartridge of the firstembodiment of the present invention having the second locking means.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the second unlocking means of the presentinvention comprise elastic bars 610 and second unlocking projections609. The elastic bars 610 are formed continuously to the guide walls 604and are connected to the lower case 601 indirectly via the guide walls604. The second unlocking projections 609 are formed at the points ofthe elastic bars 610 so as to have a projection toward the insertionportion 602.

Since the second unlocking projections 609 project toward the insertionportion 602, the second unlocking projections 609 come into contact withside walls of the case body 101 of a disk cartridge when the diskcartridge is inserted. Thus, the elastic bars 610 are elasticallydeformed so as to move away from the insertion portion 602. As shown inFIG. 16, the second unlocking projections 609 are formed at positionsopposing the second locking projections 207 formed in theopening/closing cover 201 via the side walls of the case body 101 whenthe opening/closing cover 201 is stably maintained by theopening/closing-cover holding means.

After that, when the case body 101 is withdrawn from the insertionportion 602 in the state in which the opening/closing cover 201 ismaintained by the opening/closing-cover holding means, the secondunlocking projections 609 fit into the locking holes 105 that are formedin the side walls of the case body 101 (FIG. 17). At the same time, thesecond locking projections 207 formed in the opening/closing cover 201also are apt to fit into the locking holes 105. However, it is designedso that the elastic restoring moment of the elastic bars 610 is strongerthan that of the disk holding members 202 of the opening/closing cover.Therefore, since the second locking projections 207 are pushed by thesecond unlocking projections 609, the second locking projections 207cannot fit into the locking holes 105. Each second unlocking projection609 has slopes on both sides in the moving direction of the lockingholes 105 as shown in the figure. Therefore, when the case body 101 isfurther pulled from the insertion portion 602 in this state, the slopesof the second unlocking projections 609 come into contact with the edgesof the locking holes 105. Thus, the elastic bars 610 are elasticallydeformed, and the second unlocking projections 609 are moved so as toescape to the outside of the insertion portion 602. Therefore, the casebody 101 can be drawn out from the insertion portion 602 successively.

As described above, the second unlocking means acts so as to prevent thesecond locking means from functioning.

Next, the door 510 provided for the adapter according to the thirdembodiment of the present invention will be explained.

It is preferred to provide the door 510 that closes the opening of theinsertion portion 602 to prevent the ingress of dust and to prevent theaccommodated disk from falling off accidentally after loading the disk10 into the adapter 500 and drawing out the case body 101 as describedabove.

In this case, when the door 510 can be closed even if a user forgets todraw out the case body 101 after inserting the disk cartridge into theinsertion portion 602, i.e. even in the state shown in FIG. 16, it ispossible for the user to load the adapter into a drive unit withoutdrawing out the case body accidentally. In this case, it is possiblethat a head of the drive unit, a disk drive unit, and the like bump intothe case body 101 and a shutter 181 that are left in the insertionportion, thus damaging the drive unit, the adapter, the case body, thedisk, and the like.

Therefore, it is preferable that the door 510 has a configuration inwhich the door 510 cannot be closed when the case body 101 is insertedin the insertion portion 602. Further, it is more preferable that thedoor 510 is provided so that the external shape of the adapter 500 hascompatibility with a corresponding disk cartridge in the state in whichthe door 510 is closed completely and so that the adapter 500 cannot beloaded into the drive unit when the door 510 is opened.

As shown in FIG. 14, the door 510 according to the present embodiment isprovided pivotably upon a pivot 513 as the pivot center that issupported by the upper case 501 (not shown in FIG. 14) and the lowercase 601. The door 510 comprises a door hook 511 and a contact surface512. The door hook 511 is formed so as to hold the door 510 to the uppercase 501 (not shown in FIG. 14) and the lower case 601 when the door 510is completely closed. The contact surface 512 is formed so as to comeinto contact with a side face of the case body when the case body isinserted in the insertion portion 602.

As shown in FIG. 19, after the disk 10 is accommodated in the adapter500 and the case body is drawn out, the door 510 can be closedcompletely and the door hook 511 retains the door 510 to the upper case501 (not shown in FIG. 19) and the lower case 601. Thus, the ingress ofdust into the insertion portion 602 and accidental falling of theaccommodated disk 10 can be avoided.

On the other hand, when the door 510 is closed while the case body 101is left inside the insertion portion 602, the contact surface 512 comesinto contact with one side face of the case body 101 and therefore thedoor 510 cannot be closed as shown in FIG. 21. Thus, a user can noticethat he has forgotten to draw out the case body 101. Further, when thedoor 510 cannot be closed completely, the compatibility in externalshape with a corresponding disk cartridge cannot be secured. Therefore,under this state the adapter cannot be loaded in some drive units. Thus,the possibility of accidentally damaging the drive unit, the adapter,the case body, the disk, and the like can be avoided.

Moreover, it is preferable that the adapter of the present invention isformed so that the state inside the insertion portion 602, particularlyat least a part can be identified from the outside. In this case, theexistence of a disk inside the insertion portion 602, the type of thedisk, and the like can be identified. As such an identification means,an identification window may be provided at a suitable position in theupper case 501 and/or the lower case 601, and a part of or the wholepart of the upper case 501 and/or the lower case 601 may be formed of atransparent member.

Next, an outline of a method of ejecting a disk accommodated in theadapter according to the third embodiment of the present invention willbe explained.

The case body 101 is inserted into the insertion portion 602 (FIG. 17)after opening the door 510 (FIG. 18) from the state shown in FIG. 19.The disk 10 and the opening/closing cover 201 are inserted into thedisks-storage portion 103 of the case body 101 sequentially. The casebody 101 is inserted into the insertion portion 602 until the disk 10and the opening/closing cover 201 are accommodated in the disk-storageportion 103 completely (FIG. 16).

When the opening/closing cover 103 is accommodated in the disk-storageportion 103 of the case body 101 completely, the first locking means ofthe disk cartridge is ready for functioning. That is to say, the lockingholes 105 oppose the first locking projections 203 as described withreference to FIGS. 1-3. In the disk cartridge of the first embodimenthaving the third locking means, the third locking hole 106 opposes thethird locking projection 209, thus making the third locking means readyfor functioning.

In this condition, the engagement between the opening/closing cover 201and the opening/closing-cover holding means is released by a means forreleasing the opening/closing-cover holding means.

Thus, the first locking means and the third locking means operate, andthe opening/closing cover 201 and the disk 10 can be removed to theoutside together with the case body 101 (FIG. 15).

The configuration and function of the above will be explainedsequentially as follows.

First, a means for releasing the opening/closing-cover holding means ofthe adapter according to the third embodiment of the present inventionwill be explained.

The means for releasing the opening/closing-cover holding means is usedfor releasing the engagement between the opening/closing cover 201 andthe opening/closing-cover holding means, i.e. the engagement between thehooks 214 of the opening/closing cover 201 and the holding hooks 702 ofthe opening/closing cover holding plate 701. The means for releasing theopening/closing-cover holding means is used for drawing out theopening/closing cover from the adapter of the present invention havingthe opening/closing-cover holding means and is a required element in theadapter of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the means for releasing theopening/closing-cover holding means comprises a bar 731 releasing theopening/closing cover holding means, a compression coil spring 735, anda release pin 704. The bar 731 is held to the lower cover 601 by twoguide pins 611 fixed to the lower cover 601 and two fixing rings 612 soas to be movable up and down on the paper showing FIG. 13. Thecompression coil spring 735 provides force to the bar 731 in onedirection (upward on the paper showing FIG. 13) by its elasticity. Therelease pin 704 is provided at an end of the plate 701.

At one end of the bar 731, an operating lever 732 is provided. When thedoor 510 is closed, the operating lever 732 is housed in the insidesurrounded by the door 510, the upper case 501, and the lower case 601(FIG. 19). Therefore, a user cannot touch the operating lever 732. Onthe other hand, when the door 510 is opened, the operating lever 732 isexposed through the opening of the insertion portion 602. Therefore, auser can operate the operating lever (FIG. 18). Further, in a normalcondition a part of the operating lever 732 is in contact with a part ofthe inner wall of the lower cover 601 with the bar 731 being pressed andfixed by the elasticity of the compression coil spring 735.

At the other end of the bar 731, a slope guide 733 is formed. The slopeguide 733 is formed so as to come into contact with the release pin 704provided at an end of the opening/closing cover holding plate 701 when auser operates the operating lever 732 to push the bar 731 in alongitudinal direction (downward on the paper showing FIG. 13).

The means for releasing the opening/closing-cover holding means isoperated as follows.

The operating lever 732 of the bar 731 is operated so as to be forceddownward on the paper showing FIG. 16 when the opening/closing cover 201is inserted into the disk-storage portion 103 of the case body 101completely and the first locking means of the disk cartridge functions(FIG. 16). Then, as shown in FIG. 22, the slope guide 733 formed at theother end of the bar 731 comes into contact with the release pin 704provided at an end of the plate 701, and the release pin 704 and theplate 701 combined with the release pin 704 are moved to the left on thepaper showing FIG. 22. As a result, the engagement between the hooks 214of the opening/closing cover 201 and the holding hooks 702 of the plate701 is released.

In the adapter of the present embodiment, due to the above-mentionedmeans for holding the opening/closing cover stably, a user can clearlynotice the above-mentioned operation of the means for releasing theopening/closing-cover holding means, and the disk cartridge can be drawnout further easily.

Before the release of the opening/closing-cover holding means, theopening/closing cover 201 is pressed and fixed by the press portion 712of the press-rotating member 711 by the tensile elasticity of thetensile spring 713 with the opening/closing cover 201 being engaged withthe holding hooks 702 of the opening/closing cover holding plate 701(FIG. 16). Therefore, when the engagement between the hooks 214 of theopening/closing cover 201 and the holding hooks 702 of the plate 701(FIG. 22) is released, the opening/closing cover 201 is pushed out fromthe insertion portion 602 in the ejection direction by the tensileelasticity of the tensile spring 713. Thus, the cartridge combined withthe opening/closing cover 201 to be one component is moved to theejection direction. Consequently, a user can notice the operation of themeans for releasing the opening/closing-cover holding means, and thedisk cartridge can be drawn out more easily since one end of the diskcartridge is exposed through the opening of the insertion portion 602.

When the engagement between the hooks 214 of the opening/closing cover201 and the holding hooks 702 of the plate 701 is released and then theopening/closing cover 201 is pushed out from the insertion portion 602to the outside, the hinges 204 of the opening/closing cover 201 recovertheir elasticity at the same time. Thus, the first locking projections203 are engaged with the locking holes 105. In the disk cartridge of thefirst embodiment, the elastic deformation of the case body 101 aroundthe third locking hole 106 is recovered, and thus the third lockingprojection 209 is engaged with the third locking hole 106. As a result,the case body 101 is combined with the opening/closing cover 201 to beone component, and they can be drawn out from the adapter 500.

On the other hand, when a user operates the means for releasing theopening/closing-cover holding means accidentally when the case body isnot inserted in the insertion portion 602, i.e. in the state as shown inFIG. 18, there is a possibility that the user drops the exposed disk 10from the insertion portion 602 accidentally. When the above-mentionedmeans for holding the opening/closing cover stably has a strong ejectionpower, it also is possible that the disk 10 springs out from theinsertion portion 602 with great force (the disk 10 has a small masssince the disk 10 is not accommodated in the case body), which is abigger problem. Therefore, in such a case, it is desirable to provide asafety mechanism of prohibiting the operation of the means for releasingthe opening/closing-cover holding means.

In this point of view, the adapter according to the present embodimenthas a means for locking the means for releasing theopening/closing-cover holding means.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the means for locking the means forreleasing the opening/closing-cover holding means of the presentembodiment comprises a disk-positioning member 751 a, a fixed pin 614, atorsion coil spring 760, and a notch 734. The disk-positioning member751 a is maintained pivotably upon a supporting axis 613 fixed to thelower case 601 as a pivot center and has a locking projection 756 at oneend. The fixed pin 614 is fixed to the lower case 601 and regulates thepivot of the disk-positioning member 751 a by the contact with a part ofthe disk-positioning member 751 a. The torsion coil spring 760 isengaged with a spring hook 755 of the disk-positioning member 751 a andthe lower case 601 and presses and fixes the disk-positioning member 751a to the fixed pin 614 by its elasticity. The notch 734 is formed on oneside of the bar 731 so as to engage with the locking projection 756 ofthe disk-positioning member 751 a.

The operation of the means for locking the means for releasing theopening/closing-cover holding means with such a configuration will beexplained.

As shown in FIG. 18, when the opening/closing cover 201 and the disk 10are loaded into the adapter, the disk-positioning member 751 a ispressed and fixed to the fixed pin 614 by the coil spring 760. FIG. 23is a partially enlarged perspective view of the disk-positioning member751 a in this state. FIG. 24 is a plan view of the same. As shown inFIGS. 18, 23, and 24, in this case, the locking projection 756 of thedisk-positioning member 751 a is in the state in which the lockingprojection 756 enters the notch 734 formed on one side of the bar 731.

In this condition, suppose that a user pushed the operating lever 732that is a means for releasing the opening/closing-cover holding meansdownward on the papers showing FIGS. 18 and 24. The bar 731 is moved tosome extent, and then the edge of the notch 734 of the bar 731 comesinto contact with the locking projection 756 of the disk-positioningmember 751 a.

FIG. 25 is a plan view showing a state in which the edge of the notch734 of the bar 731 is in contact with the locking projection 756 of thedisk-positioning member 751 a and FIG. 26 is a partial perspective viewof the same.

The edge of the notch 734 is apt to cause the disk-positioning member761 a to pivot counterclockwise in FIG. 25 upon a supporting axis 613 asthe pivot center by the pushing force of a user. However, thedisk-positioning member 751 a cannot pivot, since the disk-positioningmember 751 a is in contact with the fixed pin 614. As a result, the bar731 cannot move any further, which does not result in an operation ofthe means for releasing the opening/closing-cover holding means.

Thus, the possibility of the accidental operation of the means forreleasing the opening/closing-cover holding means by a user when thecase body is not inserted in the insertion portion 602 can be avoided.

When the case body 101 is inserted in the insertion portion 602, asshown in FIG. 16, the contact portion 757 formed on one end face of thedisk-positioning member 751 a is in contact with a side face of the casebody 101. The disk-positioning member 751 a pivots clockwise as shown inFIG. 16 upon the supporting axis 613 as the pivot center. As a result,the locking projection 756 of the disk-positioning member 751 a isreleased from the notch 734. Thus, the means for locking the means forreleasing the opening/closing-cover holding means does not function.Therefore, a user can eject the disk cartridge by operating theoperating lever 732 of the bar 731.

Next, a disk-positioning means of the adapter according to the thirdembodiment of the present invention will be explain.

The disk-positioning means of the present invention is used foradjusting the position of the disk in its thickness direction so thatthe disk 10 can be surely inserted into the opening 102 of the case bodywhen the case body 101 is inserted into the insertion portion 602 fromthe state in which the disk 10 is loaded in the insertion portion 602 ofthe adapter (FIG. 18). In view of the convenience in operation, it ispreferred to provide the disk-positioning means.

As shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, the disk-positioning means of the presentembodiment comprises disk-positioning members 751 a and 751 b, fixedpins 614, 614, and torsion coil springs 760, 760. The disk-positioningmembers 751 a and 751 b are maintained pivotably upon supporting axes613, 613 as their pivot centers, respectively. The supporting axes 613are formed at the both ends in the vicinity of the opening of theinsertion portion 602 of the lower case 601. Each of thedisk-positioning members 751 a and 751 b has a first positioning portion752 formed at its one end so as to hold the disk from the both sides.The fixed pins 614, 614 are fixed to the lower case 601 and come intocontact with respective parts of the disk-positioning members 751 a and751 b, thus controlling the pivot of the disk-positioning members 751 aand 751 b. The torsion coil springs 760, 760 are retained by the springhooks 755 of the members 751 a, 751 b and the lower case 602. Thetorsion coil springs 760, 760 press and fix the members 751 a and 751 bto the fixed pins 614, 614 by their elasticity. The disk-positioningmeans is provided at both ends in the vicinity of the opening of theinsertion portion 602 respectively. However, with respect to the membershaving the same function, the both members are not differentiated fromeach other and are indicated with the same character in the explanation.

The operation of the disk-positioning means with such a configurationwill be explained.

As shown in FIGS. 18, 23 and 24, when the opening/closing cover 201 andthe disk 10 are loaded in the insertion portion 602 of the adapter, boththe disk-positioning members 751 a and 751 b are pressed and fixed tothe fixed pins 614 by the torsion coil springs 760, respectively. Inthis case, the first positioning portions 752 of the disk-positioningmembers 751 a and 751 b hold the peripheral end of the disk 10 from itsboth sides to adjust the position of the disk in its thicknessdirection. Therefore, when the case body 101 is inserted into theinsertion portion 602 from this state, the disk can be surely insertedinto the opening 102 of the case body 101.

After the peripheral end of the disk 10 is inserted into the opening 102of the case body 101, when the case body 101 is further inserted intothe insertion portion 602, the contact portions 757 formed on respectiveone end faces of the disk-positioning members 751 a and 751 b come intocontact with the side faces of the case body 101. Then, as shown in FIG.17, the disk-positioning members 751 a and 751 b pivot clockwise andcounterclockwise upon the supporting axes 613 as pivot centersrespectively. As a result, the disk-positioning members 751 a and 751 bmove away from the insertion portion 602.

In the disk-positioning means having the above-mentioned configuration,when the disk is accommodated into the adapter and the adapter is thenloaded into a drive unit, the accommodated disk is required to be in arotatable condition. Therefore, consideration should be given to thesurface swing and the deviation from the center during the rotation.When the disk 10 is held by the first positioning portions 752 describedabove, there is a possibility of disturbing the rotation of the disk. Onthe other hand, considering this, “play” in holding the disk 10 with thefirst positioning portions 752 is provided too much, the region subjectto the positioning in the thickness direction of the disk 10 isincreased. Consequently, it becomes difficult to insert the disk 10 intothe opening 102 of the case body stably.

When the disk is accommodated in the adapter and the adapter is thenloaded into the drive unit, it is preferable that the difference inposition between the rotation center of the disk and the rotation axisof the drive unit is as small as possible.

Therefore, when loading the adapter into the drive unit, it is preferredto adjust the position of the accommodated disk by a positioning meansthat adjusts the position more gently than by the first positioningportion.

The adapter according to the present embodiment realizes this by secondpositioning portions 753 provided adjacent to the first positioningportions 752 of the disk-positioning members 751 a and 751 b.

The function of the second positioning portions will be explained asfollows.

As shown in FIGS. 18, 23 and 24, the door 510 is closed with the disk 10being held by the first positioning portions 752. Positioningprojections 754 as contact members that come into contact with the door510 are provided at the ends of the disk-positioning members 751 a and751 b, respectively. The positioning projections 754 are formed so as toproject toward the opening of the insertion portion 602. When the door510 is closed, the contact faces 514 and 515 of the door 510 come intocontact with the positioning projection 754 of the disk-positioningmember 751 a and with the positioning projection 754 of thedisk-positioning member 751 b, respectively. Thus, as shown in FIG. 19,the disk-positioning members 751 a and 751 b pivot slightly clockwiseand counterclockwise upon the supporting axes 613 as pivot centers,respectively. When the door 510 is closed, the disk-positioning members751 a and 751 b are elastically maintained by the elasticity of thetorsion coil springs 760 with the positioning projections 754 being incontact with the contact faces 514 and 515 of the door 510,respectively.

FIG. 27 is a partial prospective view showing the state in which thedoor 510 is closed and the second positioning portion 753 of thedisk-positioning member 751 a holds the disk 10, and FIG. 28 is a planview of the same. When the door 510 is closed, the first positioningportions 752 of the disk-positioning members 751 a and 751 b come apartfrom the disk 10, resulting in the state in which the disk 10 ispositioned between the adjacent second positioning portions 753.

As is apparent from the comparison with FIGS. 23 and 24, the secondpositioning portions 753 hold the disk 10 with a larger gap in itsthickness direction than that when the first positioning portions 752do. Therefore, even if considering the surface swing and the deviationduring the rotation of the disk that is loaded in a drive unit, there isno problem in rotating the disk. Moreover, since the position of thedisk in the direction parallel to the disk surface is adjusted by thedisk-positioning members 751 a and 751 b in addition to theopening/closing cover 201 including the disk holding members 202, thedifference in position between the rotation center of the disk and therotation axis of the drive unit when the disk is loaded into the driveunit can be maintained within a tolerance.

In the present embodiment, a part of the disk-positioning member 751 aforming the disk-positioning means is designed so as to be a part of thecomponent of the means for locking the means for releasing theopening/closing-cover holding means at the same time. Thus, theconfiguration can be simplified and the number of parts can be reduced.However, the configuration is not limited to this. Needless to say, boththe means may be formed with different components separately.

In the adapter according to the third embodiment of the presentinvention, when the adapter is loaded into a drive unit, the shutter 503is opened and a head of the drive unit passes the head access openings502 and 603. Therefore, it is necessary that the adapter and theopening/closing cover loaded inside the adapter have shapes that securea through area of the head respectively.

FIG. 29 is a schematic perspective view showing the state in which theshutter 503 of the adapter 500 of the present embodiment accommodatingthe opening/closing cover 201 and the disk 10 is opened. FIG. 30 is apartial cross-sectional view taken on line III—III in the arrowdirection of FIG. 29.

As shown in the figures, the adapter of the present embodiment has abridging portion 615 within the head access openings 502 and 603. Inorder to allow the head to pass within the head access openings 502 and603, the bridging portion 615 is formed so as to be thinner than theexternal surfaces of the upper case 501 and the lower case 601 and so asto be recessed from the both external surfaces. The thickness d11 of thebridging portion 615 that is recessed from both external surfaces is setso as to have the same thickness with the corresponding part of a diskcartridge having compatibility in external shape with the presentadapter. The head of the drive unit is designed on the condition thatthe maximum thickness inside the head access openings 502 and 603 isd11. Therefore, it is preferable that both the thickness d12 of theopening/closing cover holding plate 701 and the thickness d13 of theopening/closing cover 201 are the same as or thinner than the thicknessd11 of the bridging portion 615.

Fourth Embodiment

Next, a disk cartridge according to a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention will be explained.

FIG. 31 is a perspective view showing the appearance of an example of adisk cartridge according to the fourth embodiment of the presentinvention. FIG. 32 is an exploded perspective view showing schematicshapes of the main components of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 31.FIG. 33 is a perspective view showing an opening/closing cover that isone of the components of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 31. FIG. 34 isa schematic plan view showing a state during ejecting the diskaccommodated in the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 31 after theopening/closing cover of the disk cartridge and a case body of the diskcartridge are separated. FIG. 35 is a schematic plan view showing astate in which the opening/closing cover and the case body of the diskcartridge shown in FIG. 31 are separated and the disk accommodated inthe disk cartridge is ejected. FIG. 36 is an enlarged perspective viewshowing details of an example of a movable piece in the disk cartridgeshown in FIG. 31, which is formed by integral formation with the upperhalf of the case body. FIG. 37 shows partial cross-sectional perspectiveviews illustrating an enlarged third locking means of the disk cartridgeshown in FIG. 31. FIG. 38 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a gripportion of the disk cartridge shown in FIG. 31. The members having thesame function as those in the first embodiment are indicated using thesame characters. The duplicate explanations for those members areomitted here.

The disk cartridge according to the present fourth embodiment isdifferent from that according to the first embodiment in that apositioning portion (flange) is added. The positioning portion maintainsa disk by positioning the disk between them in its thickness directionso that the disk does not come off an opening/closing cover. Further,the disk cartridge according to the present fourth embodiment isdifferent from that according to the first embodiment in that a thirdlocking means is provided with a movable piece that can correspond to areversible third unlocking means of an adapter according to a fifthembodiment described later.

As shown in FIGS. 31-35, a disk cartridge 1000 according to the fourthembodiment of the present invention comprises a case body 1110 and anopening/closing cover 1120 accommodated inside the case body 1110 in awithdrawable manner. The case body 1110 comprises an opening 1111, adisk-storage portion 1112, a movable piece 1503, a guide hole 1119, anda grip-guide part 1113. A disk 10 is inserted into or is ejected fromthe opening 1111. The disk-storage portion 1112 is formed continuouslyto the opening 1111 and forms a space where the disk 10 is accommodated.The movable piece 1503 is provided in the vicinity of the opening 1111and can be elastically deformed in parallel with a disk surface. Whenthird locking projections 209 provided at symmetrical positions withrespect to the center line of the case body 1110 are removed by externalforce, the guide hole 1119 guides the removal operation. The grip-guidepart 1113 engages with a grip portion 1501 of the opening/closing cover1120 described later. The case body 1110 has a rectangular shape. Theinside of the case body 1110 is formed of an upper case 1110 a and alower case 1110 b that are formed in substantially the same shape. Themovable piece 1503 and the guide hole 1119 are formed substantiallyopposing each other in each of the upper case 1110 a and the lower case1110 b.

As shown in FIG. 36, the movable piece 1503 is formed by an integralformation with the case body 1110 via a bridge portion 1503 a. Theelastic deformation of the bridge portion 1503 a can displace themovable piece 1503 at least in an inplane direction parallel to the disksurface. The third locking projection 209 (not shown in FIG. 36) engageswith a third locking hole 1511. A part of wall surfaces of the thirdlocking hole 1511 is formed of the movable piece 1503. The point of themovable piece 1503 is formed in a hook shape so that the third lockingprojection 209 of the opening/closing cover is hooked and maintained bythe movable piece 1503. When the movable piece 1503 is elastically movedto a predetermined position within a plane parallel to the disk surfacein the direction shown by an arrow 1503 b in the figure, a path (gap)leading to the outside of the case body 1110 in the direction shown byan arrow 209 a from the third locking hole 1511 is formed. By passingthe third locking projection 209 through this path 209 a, theopening/closing cover 202 fixed and held by the third locking means canbe released reversibly. In an initial state of a disk cartridge, thethird locking hole 1511 is engaged with the third locking projection 209and is therefore closed.

The opening/closing cover 1120 comprises a pair of disk holding members202, first locking projections 203, third locking projections 209, hooks1123, and a grip 1501. The hooks 1123 engage with anopening/closing-cover holding means of the adapter described later.

One third locking projection 209 is provided at each side of the grip1501 of the opening/closing cover 1120. The two third lockingprojections 209 do not have the same projections on the upper and lowersurfaces of the opening/closing cover 1120. The two third lockingprojections 209 are formed so that when one of the projections 209projects from one surface side, the other projection 209 projects fromthe other surface side. As shown in FIG. 37(a), when the third lockingprojection 209 fits into the third locking hole 1511, the other endsurface of a lock key 208 is exposed within the guide hole 1119 formedopposing the locking hole 1511. The lock key 208 is designed so as to becut away irreversibly by the application of a predetermined externalforce (for example, pressing by a pen point) through the guide hole 1119in this state. Thus, the third locking means can be releasedirreversibly.

A first groove 1124 is provided on the side face in the vicinity of thebase of each disk holding members 202. First retaining portions 1242provided to position-in-height maintaining members 1240 of the adapterdescribed later fit into the first grooves 1124, thus forming aposition-in-height maintaining means. Further, a second groove 1125 isprovided on the opening/closing cover 1120 on its side face that isexposed when the opening/closing cover 1120 is inserted in the case body1110. A second retaining portion 1216 of an operating member 1210 a ofthe adapter described later fits into the second groove 1125, thussimilarly forming the position-in-height maintaining means. The secondgroove 1125 is formed in the vicinity of the center of theopening/closing cover 1120 but is formed asymmetrically with respect tothe center line of the opening/closing cover 1120 (for instance,asymmetrically in shape or formation position). Therefore, when the diskcartridge 1000 is inserted into the adapter described later to apredetermined position, the insertion is possible only with oneorientation, and thus a side A of the disk cartridge can correspond to aside A of the adapter. The hooks 1123 are formed in a left-rightsymmetric shape with respect to the insertion direction of the diskcartridge.

As shown in FIG. 33, in the disk holding members 202, points 202 bengage with the engagement portions 1117 of the case body 1110, thusadjusting the position of the disk holding members 202. Further, slopesformed in the width and thickness directions of the disk 10 are providedat the points 202 b so as to allow the opening/closing cover 1120 to beinserted smoothly when the opening/closing cover 1120 is inserted intothe case body 1110.

First flanges 1126 are formed on the upper and lower faces of each endof the disk holding members 202 (in order to explain the points 202 b,FIG. 33 shows the state in which the upper first flange 1126 of the diskholding member 202 shown in the back is cut away). Each holding member202 is formed so as to have a predetermined distance between the disk 10and each of the upper and lower faces of the member 202 in the thicknessdirection of the disk 10 (the same distance as that of a disk-storageportion 1112 forming a space where the disk 10 is accommodated).Therefore, the first flanges 1126 adjust the position in height of thedisk 10 when the disk is accommodated in the adapter described later.Each first flange 1126 has a projection that projects in the diskdirection. The projection adjusts the position of the disk in itsthickness direction. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 38, both the upper andlower surfaces of the grip 1501 project in the disk 10 direction andform a second flange 1502 that adjusts the position of the disk 10 inits thickness direction. The first flanges 1126 and the second flange1502 can maintain the disk 10 when the opening/closing cover 1120 isdrawn out from the case body 1110 so that the disk 10 does not come offthe opening/closing cover 1120 and does not fall down. The first flanges1126 are formed in a higher level than that of the basic thickness ofthe opening/closing cover 1120. When the opening/closing cover 1120 isaccommodated in the case body 1110, the first flanges 1126 engage withcavities 1509 formed within the disk-storage portion 1112. Due to thegrooves 1127, the first flanges 1126 can be elastically deformed in thethickness direction. Therefore, when the opening/closing cover 1120 isdrawn out from the case body 1110, the first flanges 1126 areelastically deformed in the thickness direction of the disk 10.Consequently, the first flanges 1126 escape from the cavities 1509formed inside the case body 1110, thus passing through the disk-storageportion 1112 and the opening 1111. Further, the upper and lower pointsof the first flanges 1126 are positioned at different positions fromeach other so as to enable the formation of the first flanges 1126 (seeFIG. 35).

On the other hand, the operation of withdrawing the opening/closingcover 1120 from the case body 1110 is the same operation as in the diskcartridge according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 34, theends of the disk holding members 202 hold the accommodated disk 10stably. As a result, the disk 10 can be withdrawn together with theopening/closing cover 1120 in the state as shown in FIG. 35. The grip1501 in the vicinity of the center of the opening/closing cover 1120 isprovided with the second flange 1502 projecting toward the diskdirection. The second flange 1502 adjusts the position of the disk 10described above in its thickness direction. Therefore, the disk 10 doesnot fall off from the opening/closing cover 1120. Consequently, whengrasping the disk 10 and drawing it out in the direction of the end ofthe opening/closing cover 1120, the disk 10 can be removed from theopening/closing cover 1120 while the disk holding members 202 areelastically deformed outwards by the peripheral face of the disk 10.

The grip 1501 is positioned at a higher level than that of the basicthickness of the opening/closing cover 1120. The shape formed at thehigher level is designed so as not to be left-right symmetric withrespect to the center line of the disk cartridge 1000. Similarly, thegrip-guide part 1113 of the case body 1110 that engages with the grip1501 also is not left-right symmetric with respect to the center line ofthe disk cartridge 1000. Thus, the disk cartridge 1000 is formed so thatthe opening/closing cover 1120 can be inserted into the case body 1110only with one orientation. Therefore, when the opening/closing cover1120 is inserted into the case body 1110 again after being withdrawnfrom the case body 1110, the opening/closing cover 1120 can be insertedonly with the initial orientation. When the opening/closing cover 1120is inserted into the case body 1110 again after the opening/closingcover 1120 and the disk 10 are transferred into the adapter describedlater, the opening/closing cover 1120 can be inserted only with theinitial orientation. Thus, a side A of the disk cartridge 1000 cancorrespond to a side A of the adapter, and a side B of the diskcartridge 1000 to a side B of the adapter. Needless to say, when thedisk cartridge 1000 is loaded into the adapter, it is necessary to makethe side A of the disk cartridge 1000 and the side A of the adaptercorrespond to each other and to form the disk cartridge 1000 so as to beinserted into the adapter only with one orientation. This will bedescribed later. The grip 1501 and the case body 1110 are engaged witheach other, being positioned one upon another as shown in FIG. 38, thusavoiding the ingress of dirt and dust into the disk cartridge 1000.

The case body 1110 comprises a head access opening 180, a shutter 181,an elastic spring 182, and a slider 1104. The slider 1104 is freelymovable in the left-right direction by the guide of two guide portions1507 and 1508 formed in the case body 1110. The slider 1104 fixes theshutter 181 and suspends one end of the elastic spring 182. The otherend of the elastic spring 182 is suspended by the case body 1110. Thus,the elastic spring 182 provides force in the direction that the shutter181 covers the head access opening 180. A shutter opening/closing hole1506 formed in the slider engages with a shutter opening/closing leverthat is provided in a drive unit and is not shown in the figure, thusopening and closing the shutter 181.

The points 202 b of the disk holding members 202 engage with theengagement portions 1117 of the case body 1110, and therefore thepositions of the points 202 b are regulated. Thus, it is avoided thatthe ends of the disk holding members 202 are inclined inwards and thencome into contact with the disk 10.

As shown in FIG. 33, the first locking projection 203 has a step 203 bin the opposite side of a step 203 a provided in the directionpreventing the opening/closing cover 1120 and the case body 1110 frombeing separated by being engaged with the locking hole 105. The step 203b comes into contact with a step 1250 a of aninsertion-position-maintaining member 1250 of the adapter describedlater that is included in an insertion-position maintaining means whenthe disk cartridge is inserted into the adapter.

A first unlocking claw 205 as shown in FIG. 33 is formed at a part ofeach hinge 204. The first unlocking claws 205 are pressed by firstunlocking bars 1214 of operating members 1210 a and 1210 b of theadapter described later, thus displacing the hinges inwards.

Fifth Embodiment

Next, an adapter according to a fifth embodiment into which the diskcartridge of the fourth embodiment of the present invention can beinserted will be explained with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 39 is an entire perspective view showing the appearance of anadapter according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG.40 is a schematic plan view showing an internal structure of the adaptershown in FIG. 39 after removing an upper half and a shutter. FIG. 41 isan exploded schematic perspective view showing components of the adaptershown in FIG. 39. The members having the same function as those in thethird embodiment are indicated using the same characters, respectively.The duplicate explanations for those members are omitted here.

An adapter 1200 of the present embodiment is formed by combining arectangular upper case 1220 and a rectangular lower case 1230 so as tohave a case-like form that can accommodate a disk cartridge. The adapter1200 comprises an insertion portion 602, a door 510, head accessopenings 502 and 603, a shutter 503, and an elastic spring (not shown inthe figures) for maintaining the shutter 503 in a closed state when theadapter 1200 is not loaded in a drive unit.

As shown in FIG. 40, the operating members 1210 a and 1210 b arepositioned at the back of the insertion portion 602 movably in adirection perpendicular to the insertion direction of the diskcartridge. A spring 1212 provides force to one operating member 1210 ain the left direction in the figure. A spring 1213 provides force to theother operating member 1210 b in the right direction in the figure. Thatis, the springs 1212 and 1213 provide forces to the operating members1210 a and 1210 b respectively so that the operating members 1210 a and1210 b are separated from each other. The operating member 1210 aextends crossing over the head access openings 502 and 603. On a sideface of the operating member 1210 a, a first unlocking bar 1214, asecond convex part 1513, and a holding hook 1215 are provided projectingfrom the side face. The first unlocking bar 1214 can come into contactwith the first unlocking claw 205 (see FIG. 33) formed at a part of thehinge 204 formed in the opening/closing cover 1120. The second convexpart 1513 engages with the second concave part 1512 (see FIG. 36) formedin the movable piece 1503 of the case body 1110. The holding hook 1215engages with the hook 1123 (see FIG. 33) formed in the opening/closingcover 1120. In the operating member 1210 b, the same first unlocking bar1214, second convex part 1513, and holding hook 1215 are formed in theopposite shape respectively (in an asymmetrical shape with respect tothe center line of the disk cartridge in its insertion direction). Apair of the first unlocking bars 1214 described above form a firstunlocking means of the present invention. A pair of the second convexparts 1513 described above form a third unlocking means of the presentinvention. A pair of the holding hooks 1215 described above form a firstopening/closing-cover holding means of the present invention.

A second retaining portion 1216 that enters the second groove 1125 (seeFIG. 33) formed in the opening/closing cover 1120 and holds theopening/closing cover 1120 in the thickness direction of a disk isformed in the vicinity of the center of the side face of the operatingmember 1210 a. A rack 1217 is formed at the right end of the operatingmember 1210 a. When a handle 1218 projecting on the upper face of theoperating member 1210 a is moved to the right through a window 1221formed in the upper case 1220 by a finger, a gear (a pinion gear) 1203that meshes with the rack 1217 rotates. Further, the operating member1210 b having a rack that meshes with the gear 1203 moves to the left.Consequently, the first unlocking bars 1214, the second convex parts1513, and the holding hooks 1215 that are provided at the right and leftsides respectively move in the respective directions approaching eachother at one time. That is to say, the first unlocking means, the thirdunlocking means, and the first opening/closing-cover holding means thatare provided in each of the right and left sides of the disk cartridgewith respect to the insertion direction can be operated at one time.

Position-in-height maintaining members 1240 for maintaining the positionin height of the opening/closing cover 1120 are arranged to the left andright of the insertion portion 602 movably in the directionperpendicular to the insertion direction of the disk cartridge as shownin FIGS. 40 and 41. Springs 1241 provide forces to theposition-in-height maintaining members 1240 inwards toward the insertionportion 602. In the position-in-height maintaining members 1240, firstretaining portions 1242 that enter the first grooves 1124 formed in theopening/closing cover 1120 and hold the opening/closing cover 1120 areformed, respectively. The first retaining portions 1242 together withthe above-mentioned second retaining portion 1216 form aposition-in-height maintaining means included in the secondopening/closing-cover holding means of the present invention.

Insertion-position-maintaining members 1250 for holding theopening/closing cover at a predetermined position in the insertiondirection are arranged to the left and right at the back of and outsidethe insertion portion 602 as shown in FIGS. 40 and 41. Theinsertion-position-maintaining members 1250 are provided on the upperand lower cases 1220 and 1230 pivotably upon axes 1251 as the pivotcenters, respectively. Springs 1252 provide forces to theinsertion-position-maintaining members 1250 in the direction toward theinsertion portion 602. Step portions 1250 a provided at the ends of theinsertion-position-maintaining members 1250 engage with step portions203 b of first locking projections 203 formed in the opening/closingcover 1120 to hold the opening/closing cover 1120. Thus, a pair of theinsertion-position-maintaining members 1250 form an insertion-positionmaintaining means included in the second opening/closing holding meansof the present invention.

Guide members 1270 are arranged to the left and right of the diskcartridge in the insertion direction in the vicinity of the entrance ofthe insertion portion 602. Each guide member 1270 is sandwiched betweena groove 1234 formed in the lower case 1230 and a disk-positioningmember 1280. Therefore, the guide members 1270 can move only in thedirection parallel to the insertion direction.

Disk-positioning members 1280 for adjusting the position of the disk inits thickness direction are arranged in both sides of the insertionportion 602 in the vicinity of its entrance pivotably upon axes 613 asthe pivot centers, respectively. Torsion coil springs 760 urge thedisk-positioning members 1280 toward the insertion portion 602. Thedisk-positioning members 1280 are in contact with the guide members1270.

As a result, the forces are provided to the guide members 1270 in thedirection toward the entrance of the insertion portion 602 (downward onthe paper showing FIG. 40) by the elasticity of the torsion coil springs760 via the disk-positioning members 1280, respectively. The guidemembers 1270 to which forces are provided are maintained with stop faces1271 being pressed by the grooves 1234.

A schematic loading method of the disk 10 into the adapter 1200according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention will beexplained using FIGS. 42-47 as follows.

The door 510 is opened and then the disk cartridge 1000 is inserted intothe insertion portion 602 with the opening 1111 of the case body 1110facing forward (FIG. 42).

The disk cartridge 1000 is guided by the guide members 1270 and theinsertion portion 602 and is inserted to the vicinity of the operatingmembers 1210 a and 12 10 b while pushing the disk-positioning members1280, the position-in-height maintaining members 1240, and theinsertion-position-maintaining members 1250 outwards. Then, the firstunlocking claws 205 formed in the hinges 204 of the opening/closingcover 1120 and the first unlocking bars 1214 formed in the operatingmembers 1210 a and 1210 b come into contact with each other.Consequently, the disk cartridge 1000 is in the state in which the diskcartridge 1000 is held gently inside the adapter. At the same time, thesecond convex parts 1513 formed in the operating members 1210 a and 1210b fit into the second concave parts 1512 formed in the movable pieces1503 (FIGS. 48(a) and (b)). In this case, the disk cartridge 1000 can bedrawn out easily when trying to draw out the disk cartridge 1000 with agreater force than the force with which the disk cartridge 1000 is heldby the first unlocking bars 1214. Needless to say, the disk cartridge iskept in an initial state (in the state in which the disk isaccommodated).

Next, when the handle 1218 formed on the operating member 1210 a iscaught by a finger through the window 1221 of the upper case 1220 to bemoved in the right-angled direction (in this case to the right) to theinsertion direction of the disk cartridge 1000, the hinges 204 and themovable pieces 1503 are elastically deformed inwards. When the hinges204 are elastically deformed inwards, each first locking projection 203formed together with the respective hinge 204 as one component also ismoved inwards, thus releasing the engagement between the first lockingprojections 203 and the locking holes 105 formed in the case body 1110(the operation of the first unlocking means). When the movable pieces1503 are elastically moved inwards, a part of the wall face of eachthird locking hole 1511 is moved, thus forming a path through which thethird locking projection 209 can pass (the operation of the thirdunlocking means). At the same time, the holding hooks 1215 formed in theoperating members 1210 a and 1210 b engage with the hooks 1123 formed inthe opening/closing cover 1120 (the operation of the firstopening/closing-cover holding means). Thus, the first locking means andthe third locking means are unlocked and therefore the case body 1110and the opening/closing cover 1120 can be separated. In addition, theopening/closing cover 1120 is retained by the operating members 1210 aand 1210 b.

While maintaining this state, the case body 1110 is drawn out from theadapter 1200, and the disk 10 and the opening/closing cover 1120 remaininside the adapter. By drawing out the case body 1110, the step portions1250 a formed in the insertion-position-maintaining members 1250 engagewith the step portions 203 b of the first locking projections 203 formedin the opening/closing cover 1120, thus regulating the position of theopening/closing cover 1120 in its insertion direction (the operation ofthe insertion-position maintaining means included in the secondopening/closing-cover holding means). When the insertion-positionmaintaining means is operated, the second retaining portion 1216 formedin the operating member 1210 a enters the second groove 1125 formed inthe opening/closing cover 1120, thus regulating the position of theopening/closing cover 1120 in the disk-thickness direction. Further, thefirst retaining portions 1242 formed in the position-in-heightmaintaining members 1240 enter the first grooves 1124 formed in theopening/closing cover 1120, thus regulating the position of theopening/closing cover 1120 in the disk-thickness direction (theoperation of the position-in-height maintaining means included in thesecond opening/closing-cover holding means). Thus, the opening/closingcover 1120 is held at a predetermined position. This condition is shownin FIG. 46.

When the door 510 is closed (FIG. 47) and the disk cartridge is loadedinto a drive unit designed for a disk cartridge having compatibility inexternal shape with the adapter 1200, information recorded on the disk10 inside the adapter can be reproduced or erased, or information can berecorded on the disk 10.

The configuration and functions of the above will be explained in orderas follows.

The first unlocking means, the third unlocking means, and the firstopening/closing-cover holding means of the present invention will beexplained.

In the first unlocking means, when the handle 1218 of the operatingmember 1210 a is pushed to the right through the window 1221 of theupper case 1220 in the state in which the first unlocking claws 205formed in the hinges 204 formed in the opening/closing cover 1120 are incontact with the first unlocking bars 1214 formed in the operatingmembers 1210 a and 1210 b, the first unlocking bars 1214 come to movetoward the inside of the adapter 1200, thus deforming the hinges 204inwards. As a result, the engagement between the first lockingprojections 203 and the locking holes 105 is released.

In the third unlocking means, when the handle 1218 of the operatingmember 1210 a is pushed to the right through the window 1221 of theupper case 220 in the state in which the second convex parts 1513 formedin the operating members 1210 a and 1210 b fit into the second concaveparts 1512 formed in the movable pieces 1503 formed in the case body1110, the second convex parts 1513 are moved toward the inside of theadapter 1200, thus deforming the movable pieces 1503 inwards.Consequently, paths through which the third locking projections 209 canpass are formed.

As a result, the lock between the first locking projections 203 and thelocking holes 105 and the engagement between the movable pieces 1503 andthe third locking projections 209 are released, thus allowing theopening/closing cover 1120 and the case body 1110 to be separated fromeach other.

By pushing the handle 1218 of the operating member 1210 a, the holdinghooks 1215 formed in the operating members 1210 a and 1210 b are movedinwards and therefore engage with the hooks 1123 formed in theopening/closing cover 1120, thus retaining the opening/closing cover1120.

As described above, the operations of the first unlocking means, thethird unlocking means and the first opening/closing-cover holding meansallow the case body 1110 to be drawn out from the adapter 1200 while theopening/closing cover 1120 is left inside the adapter 1200. Needless tosay, when the case body 1110 is drawn out from the adapter 1200 byoperating the operating members 1210 a and 1210 b, the disk 10 is heldby the opening/closing cover 1120. Consequently, the disk 10 alsoremains inside the adapter 1200.

FIG. 44 is a view showing the state in which the first unlocking means,the third unlocking means, and the first opening/closing-cover holdingmeans are operated by operating the operating members 1210 a and 1210 b.FIG. 44 shows the state in which the hinges 204 are displaced and thehooks 1123 of the opening/closing cover 1120 and the holding hooks 1215of the operating members 1210 a and 1210 b engage with each other.

FIG. 48 shows views illustrating the third unlocking means. The secondconvex parts 1513 formed in the operating members 1210 a and 1210 b fitinto the second concave parts 1512 of the movable pieces 1503 formed inthe case body 1110 (FIGS. 48(a) and (b)). The operating members 1210 aand 1210 b are operated and the movable pieces 1503 are moved inwards(to the left on the paper showing FIG. 48(c)). Consequently, the pathsthrough which the third locking projections 209 formed in theopening/closing cover 1120 can pass are formed, thus unlocking the thirdlocking means (FIG. 48(c)).

Next, the insertion-position maintaining means and theposition-in-height maintaining means that are the secondopening/closing-cover holding means in the present invention will beexplained.

The insertion-position maintaining means aims to regulate the positionof the opening/closing cover 1120 in its insertion direction after thecase body 1110 is drawn out from the adapter 1200 so that theopening/closing cover 1120 is not drawn out from the adapter 1200. Thatis to say, when the disk cartridge 1000 is inserted into the adapter1200, the insertion-position-maintaining members 1250 are rotated towardthe outside of the insertion portion 602 by the side faces of the casebody 1110. Then, while the disk 10 and the opening/closing cover 1120are left inside the adapter 1200 by operating the operating member 1210a, the case body 1110 is drawn out from the adapter. Theinsertion-position-maintaining members 1250 are rotated toward theinside of the insertion portion 602 by the forces provided by thesprings 1252. The step portions 1250 a of theinsertion-position-maintaining members 1250 engage with the stepportions 203 b of the first locking projections 203 formed in theopening/closing cover 1120. After that, even if the firstopening/closing-cover holding means is released, the opening/closingcover 1120 cannot be drawn out from the adapter 1200. In addition, thefirst unlocking claws 205 formed in the above-mentioned opening/closingcover 1120 and the first unlocking bars 1214 formed in the operatingmembers 1210 a and 1210 b also regulate the position of theopening/closing cover 1120 in the direction of a plane parallel to thedisk surface. Therefore, the position of the opening/closing cover 1120is not changed unintentionally.

The position-in-height maintaining means aims to adjust the position ofthe opening/closing cover 1120 in the disk-thickness direction. That isto say, when the disk cartridge 1000 is inserted into the adapter 1200,the position-in-height maintaining members 1240 are moved by the sidefaces of the case body 1110 toward the outside of the insertion portion602. Then, after the first opening/closing-cover holding means isoperated, the position-in-height maintaining members 1240 are movedtoward the inside of the insertion portion 602 by the forces provided bythe springs 1241 at substantially the same time that the opening/closingcover 1120 and the case body 1110 are separated. Then, the firstretaining portions 1242 formed in the position-in-height maintainingmembers 1240 enter the first grooves 1124 formed in the opening/closingcover 1120, thus regulating the position of the opening/closing cover1120 in the disk-thickness direction. In addition, when the diskcartridge 1000 is inserted into the adapter 1200, the second retainingportion 1216 formed in the operating member 1210 a enters the secondgroove 1125 formed in the opening/closing cover 1120, thus regulatingthe position of the opening/closing cover 1120 in the disk-thicknessdirection. Thus, by regulating the position in height of theopening/closing cover 1120 by the position-in-height maintaining means,the position of the disk 10 accommodated inside the adapter 1200 can beadjusted in its thickness direction by the first flanges 1126 and thesecond flange 1502 that are formed in the opening/closing cover 1120.Needless to say, considering the movement of the operating member 1210a, the second groove 1125 is formed so as to have a length correspondingto the movement. Furthermore, as mentioned above, since the secondretaining portion 1216 and the second groove 1125 are designed so as tofit each other only in one orientation, the disk cartridge 1000 can beloaded into the adapter 1200 with the side A and the side B of the diskcartridge 1000 corresponding to the side A and the side B of the adapter1200 respectively.

Next, the disk-positioning means that holds the disk and adjusts itsposition will be explained. This function is the same as that of thedisk-positioning means of the third embodiment. Therefore, mainly thedifferent parts in the configuration will be explained. FIG. 49 is aperspective view of the disk-positioning member 1280 and FIG. 50 is aside view of the disk-positioning member.

The movable width of the disk 10, whose position is adjusted by thefirst flanges 1126 and the second flange 1502 of the opening/closingcover 1120, in its thickness direction is almost the same as thatregulated by the inner wall of the disk cartridge 1000, which issufficient for free rotation of the disk 10. Therefore, when trying toinsert the disk 10 into the case body 1110 in such a condition, it isconceivable that the disk 10 comes into contact with the case body 1110and therefore the disk 10 cannot be accommodated inside the case body1110 securely. The disk-positioning means of the present embodiment isused for avoiding such a case.

The disk-positioning means comprises disk-positioning members 1280 andtorsion coil springs 760. As shown in FIGS. 41, 46 and 47, thedisk-positioning members 1280 are maintained pivotably upon twosupporting axes 613 formed at both ends of the insertion portion 602 inthe vicinity of its opening as the pivot centers respectively. Eachdisk-positioning member 1280 has a first positioning portion 1285 formedat one end so as to hold the disk 10 from its both sides. The torsioncoil springs 760 are retained by spring retaining faces 1286 of thedisk-positioning members 1280 and the lower case 1230, and provideforces to the disk-positioning members 1280 toward the insertion portion602 as shown in FIGS. 49 and 50. In each disk-positioning member 1280, asecond positioning portion 1284 for adjusting the position of the diskto such a degree that the disk can be rotated is further formed adjacentto the first positioning portion 1285.

The operation of the disk-positioning means having such a configurationwill be explained. As shown in FIG. 46,when the opening/closing cover1120 and the disk 10 are loaded in the insertion portion 602, both thepairs of the disk-positioning members 1280 are in contact with the guidemembers 1270. The positions of the guide members 1270 in adisk-cartridge insertion direction are regulated by the stop faces 1271provided in the guide members 1270 and the grooves 1234 formed on thelower case 1230 (see FIG. 41). Therefore, the disk-positioning members1280 stand still being pushed by the torsion coil springs 760 toward theinsertion portion 602. In this case, the first positioning portions 1285of the disk-positioning members 1280 hold the peripheral end of the disk10 from its both sides, thus adjusting the position of the disk in itsthickness direction. Consequently, when the case body 1110 is insertedinto the insertion portion 602 in this condition, the disk 10 can beinserted into the opening 1111 of the case body 1110 without fail.

After the peripheral end of the disk 10 is inserted into the opening1111 of the case body 1110, when the case body 1110 is inserted into theinsertion portion 602, a contact surface 1287 that is one side face ofthe disk-positioning member 1280 comes into contact with a side face ofthe case body 1110. Then, as shown in FIG. 45, one disk-positioningmember 1280 pivots clockwise and the other disk-positioning member 1280counterclockwise upon the supporting axes 613 as the pivot centers,respectively. Thus, the disk-positioning members 1280 escape from theinsertion portion 602.

As shown in FIG. 46, when the door 510 is closed in the state in whichthe disk 10 is held by the first positioning portions 1285, one end ofeach guide member 1270 comes into contact with the door 510 insuccession of the operation of closing the door 510. The guide members1270 are pushed in a disk-cartridge insertion direction. Thus, the otherend of each guide member 1270 presses the respective disk-positioningmember 1280. Therefore, each disk-positioning member 1280 pivotsslightly in a direction escaping from the insertion portion 602, i.e.one disk-positioning member 1280 pivots clockwise and the otherpositioning member 1280 counterclockwise, upon respective supportingaxes 613 as the pivot centers respectively.

FIG. 47 is a plan view showing the state in which the door 510 is closedand the second positioning portions 1284 of the disk-positioning members1280 hold the disk 10. When the door 510 is closed, the firstpositioning portions 1285 of the disk-positioning members 1280 comeapart from the disk 10. Needless to say, the adjusting space of the diskby the second positioning portions 1284 of the disk-positioning members1280 in such a condition is set to be larger than that by the firstflanges 1126 and the second flange 1502 of the opening/closing cover1120.

Next, an outline of a method of ejecting the disk accommodated in theadapter according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention willbe explained.

The door 510 is opened (FIG. 46) from the condition shown in FIG. 47 andthe case body 1110 is inserted into the insertion portion 602 (FIG. 45).At this time, the side faces of the case body 1110 come into contactwith the disk-positioning members 1280 and the disk-positioning members1280 pivot toward the outside of the insertion portion 602 against thetorsion coil springs 760. The disk 10 and the opening/closing cover 1120are inserted into the disk-storage portion 1112 of the case body 1110sequentially. The case body 1110 is inserted into the insertion portion602 until the disk 10 and the opening/closing cover 1120 areaccommodated in the disk-storage portion 1112 completely (FIG. 43). Inthis stage, the side faces of the case body 1110 and theposition-in-height maintaining members 1240 come into contact with eachother, and the position-in-height maintaining members 1240 are movedtoward the outside of the insertion portion 602 against the springs1241, thus releasing the position-in-height maintaining means. The sidefaces of the case body 1110 and the insertion-position-maintainingmembers 1250 come into contact with each other, and theinsertion-position-maintaining members 1250 are rotated toward theoutside of the insertion portion 602 against the springs 252.Consequently, the insertion-position maintaining means of the diskcartridge is released. As described above, according to the presentembodiment, the position-in-height maintaining means and theinsertion-position maintaining means as the second opening/closing-coverholding means can be released sequentially merely by the insertion ofthe case body 1110 into the insertion portion 602. That is to say, inthe present embodiment the means for unlocking the opening/closing coverholding means does not require a special member such as the bar 731releasing an opening/closing-cover holding means of the adapter 500 inthe third embodiment and is formed of both components of theposition-in-height maintaining means and the insertion-positionmaintaining means that are formed so as to be operated as describedabove.

When the case body 1110 is further inserted, the steps 203 b of thefirst locking projections 203 formed in both sides of theopening/closing cover 1120 come into contact with the entrance edges ofthe opening 1111 of the case body 1110. Since slopes are formed at theentrance edges of the opening 1111, the first locking projections 203are subjected to an inward force by the slopes, thus elasticallydeforming the hinges 204. As a result, when the hinges 204 areelastically deformed the first locking projections 203 slide on theinner walls 104 of the opening 1111.

When the opening/closing cover 1120 is accommodated in the disk-storageportion 1112 completely, the first locking means and the third lockingmeans of the disk cartridge 1000 function. That is to say, as explainedwith reference to FIGS. 31-35, when the first locking projections 203reach the locking holes 105, the hinges 204 are elastically restored.Then, the locking projections 203 fit into the locking holes 105 andthus the opening/closing cover 1120 is fixed and held to the case body1110. At almost the same time, the slopes 1510 of the movable pieces1503 of the case body and the third locking projections 209 of theopening/closing cover 1120 come into contact with each other. While themovable pieces 1503 are elastically deformed inwards, the third lockingprojections 209 pass through the paths 209 a. When the third lockingprojections 209 have passed through the paths 209 a completely, themovable pieces 1503 come back to the initial state. Consequently, thethird locking projections 209 are engaged with the third locking holes1511.

Thus, the opening/closing cover 1120 and the disk 10 can be ejected tothe outside together with the case body 1110 as one body (FIG. 42).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, by operatingthe operating member 1210 a by hand, the first unlocking means, thethird unlocking means, and the first opening/closing-cover holding meansare operated at the same time, thus obtaining an adapter with a simpleconfiguration.

Further, the adapter is designed so that the hinges 204 formed in theopening/closing cover 1120 are not elastically deformed when theopening/closing cover 1120 is held inside the insertion portion 602 ofthe adapter. Therefore, creep that occurs by deforming the hinges 204can be prevented.

Similarly, when the opening/closing cover 1120 is held inside theinsertion portion 602 of the adapter, a bridge portion 1503 a connectingthe movable portions 1503 and the case body 1110 is not elasticallydeformed. Therefore, creep deformation of the bridge portion 1503 a doesnot occur even in the case where the opening/closing cover 1120 isinserted in the adapter for a long period.

The releasing operation of the second opening/closing-cover holdingmeans proceeds by simply inserting the case body 1110 into the insertionportion 602. Thus, the operability in ejecting the disk is improved.

The opening/closing cover 1120 that is installed inside the adapter canbe held by the second opening/closing-cover holding means providedseparately from the first opening/closing-cover holding means.Therefore, for example, even if a user manipulates the handle 1218incorrectly when the door 510 is opened (in the condition shown in FIG.46), the opening/closing cover 1120 and the disk 10 do not fall off fromthe insertion portion 602 accidentally. Consequently, it is notnecessary to provide the means for locking the means for releasing theopening/closing-cover holding means shown in the third embodiment, thussimplifying the configuration.

EXAMPLES

The present invention will be explained further in detail using anexample.

In the standard of DVD (digital video disc) RAM, there is a regulationabout a cartridge accommodating a DVDRAM disk with a diameter of 120 mm.On the other hand, in order to improve the portability of the DVDRAM,the advent of a DVDRAM disk with a diameter of 80 mm and a diskcartridge accommodating the same has been waited and thus theirstandards have been studied.

Then, in the present example, disk cartridges accommodating a DVDRAMdisk with a diameter of 80 mm were produced experimentally according tothe above-mentioned first, second, and fourth embodiments. On the otherhand, adapters having compatibility with a cartridge in accordance withthe standard of a DVDRAM accommodating the DVDRAM disk with a diameterof 120 mm were produced experimentally according to the above-mentionedthird and fifth embodiments. The DVDRAM disks with a diameter of 80 mmwere loaded into the adapters, thus testing the recording, reproduction,and erasure of information in a drive unit designed for a DVDRAM.

The disk cartridges and adapters produced experimentally will bedescribed in detail as follows.

Disk Cartridge 1

A disk cartridge accommodating a DVDRAIM disk with a diameter of 80 mmhaving the configuration described in the first embodiment was producedexperimentally.

A cartridge case had a width of 85 mm, a depth of 90 mm, and a thicknessof 5 mm. A head access opening 180 had a width of 23 mm.

A case body 101 was formed in a predetermined shape using polycarbonateand an opening/closing cover 201 was formed in a predetermined shapeusing polyacetal. A shutter 181 was formed by processing a stainlesssteel plate with a thickness of 0.2 mm. A belt opener 183 was a cast ofpolyacetal.

The obtained disk cartridge was loaded into a drive unit that had beenproduced experimentally and studied separately as a drive unit designedfor a disk cartridge accommodating a DVDRAM disk with a diameter of 80mm. Thus, it was confirmed that information could be recorded,reproduced, and erased.

Disk Cartridge 2

A disk cartridge accommodating a DVDRAM disk with a diameter of 80 mmhaving the configuration described in the second embodiment was producedexperimentally.

A cartridge case had a width of 85 mm, a depth of 90 mm, and a thicknessof 5 mm. A head access opening 180 had a width of 23 mm.

A case body 101 was formed in a predetermined shape using polycarbonateand an opening/closing cover 201 was formed in a predetermined shapeusing polyacetal. A shutter 181 was formed by processing a stainlesssteel plate with a thickness of 0.2 mm. A belt opener 183 was a cast ofpolyacetal.

The obtained disk cartridge was loaded into a drive unit that had beenproduced experimentally and studied separately as a drive unit designedfor a disk cartridge accommodating a DVDRAM disk with a diameter of 80mm. Thus, it was confirmed that information could be recorded,reproduced, and erased.

Disk Cartridge 3

A disk cartridge accommodating a DVDRAM disk with a diameter of 80 mmhaving the configuration described in the fourth embodiment was producedexperimentally.

A cartridge case had a width of 90 mm, a depth of 92 mm, and a thicknessof 5.2 mm. A head access opening 180 had a width of 26 mm.

A case body 1110 was formed in a predetermined shape using polycarbonateand an opening/closing cover 1120 and a slider 1104 were formed inrespective predetermined shapes using polyacetal. A shutter 181 wasformed by processing a stainless steel plate with a thickness of 0.5 mm.

The obtained disk cartridge was loaded into a drive unit that had beenproduced experimentally and studied separately as a drive unit designedfor a disk cartridge accommodating a DVDRAM disk with a diameter of 80mm. Thus, it was confirmed that information could be recorded,reproduced, and erased.

Adapter 1

An adapter having the configuration described in the third embodimentand the compatibility with the cartridge in accordance with the standardof the DVDRAM accommodating a DVDRAM disk with a diameter of 120 mm wasproduced experimentally.

An adapter case had a width of 124.6 mm, a depth of 135.5 mm, and athickness of 8 mm. In upper and lower cases, a head access opening wasprovided for inserting a disk motor and an optical head as shown inFIGS. 12 and 13. The head access opening was covered by a shutter thatwas opened and closed to the left and right. The head access opening fora disk motor had a width of 34 mm and one for an optical head had awidth of 39 mm.

An upper case 501, a lower case 601, and a door 510 were formed inrespective predetermined shapes using polycarbonate. A press-rotatingmember 711 and disk-positioning members 751 a, 751 b were formed inrespective predetermined shapes using polyacetal. An opening/closingcover holding plate 701 and a bar 731 releasing an opening/closing-coverholding means were obtained by processing stainless steel plates inrespective predetermined shapes.

Adapter 2

An adapter having the configuration described in the fifth embodimentand the compatibility with the cartridge in accordance with the standardof a DVDRAM accommodating the DVDRAM disk with a diameter of 120 mm wasproduced experimentally.

An adapter case had a width of 124.6 mm, a depth of 135.5 mm, and athickness of 8 mm. In upper and lower cases, a head access opening wasprovided for inserting a disk motor and an optical head as shown inFIGS. 39 and 40. The head access opening was covered by a shutter thatwas opened and closed to the left and right. The head access opening fora disk motor had a width of 34 mm and one for an optical head had awidth of 39 mm.

An upper case 1220, a lower case 1230, and a door 510 were formed inrespective predetermined shapes using polycarbonate. Operating members1210, position-in-height maintaining members 1240,insertion-position-maintaining members 1250, and disk-positioningmembers 1280 were formed in respective predetermined shapes usingpolyacetal.

Effect

By inserting each of the above-mentioned disk cartridges 1 and 2 intothe insertion portion 602 of the obtained adapter 1 in order, the diskand the opening/closing cover were loaded into the adapter. Then, theadapter was loaded into a drive unit designed for a cartridge inaccordance with the DVDRAM standard. As a result, it was confirmed thatinformation could be recorded, reproduced, and erased without anyproblem in both cases. After that, the case body was inserted into theinsertion portion 602 of the adapter and then the accommodated disk andthe opening/closing cover were ejected. There was no particular problemin operability in loading or ejecting the disk and the opening/closingcover from the adapter via the case body. Further, the disk cartridge 3was inserted into the insertion portion 602 of the obtained adapter 2and the same test as in the adapter 1 was carried out to confirm thesame effect.

Second Invention

Embodiments of the present second invention will be explained in detailwith reference to the drawings.

Sixth Embodiment

FIG. 52 is a perspective structural view showing a disk cartridgeaccording to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 53 is aperspective structural view showing the state in which a shutter of thedisk cartridge is opened. A substantially rectangular case body 2003formed of an upper half 2001 and a lower half 2002 comprises adisk-storage portion that accommodates a disk 2004 in its inside. Anopening 2005 is provided in the upper and lower halves, and a disk motorand an optical pickup can be inserted through the opening 2005.Normally, a shutter 2006 covers the opening 2005 through which theoptical pickup and the disk motor of a drive unit intrude so that thedisk 2004 can not be touched easily.

A bridge portion 2023 is formed in the front-end side of the opening2005. The bridge portion 2023 is thinner than the case body 2003. Thatis to say, the bridge portion 2023 is formed so as to be recessed fromthe upper and lower surfaces of the case body 2003.

A U-shaped shutter 2006 for covering and uncovering the opening 2005 isslidably provided on the case body 2003. When a disk cartridge isinserted into a drive unit, the shutter 2006 is moved. The shutter 2006comprises two opposed shielding plates 2007 and a connecting portion2008 interconnecting the two shielding plates 2007. An engagementportion 2010 is formed in the connecting portion 2008. The engagementportion 2010 can be engaged with a shutter opener (not shown in thefigure) provided in a loading mechanism (not shown in the figure) of thedrive unit when the disk cartridge is loaded into the drive unit. Theengagement portion 2010 has a configuration in which the engagementportion 2010 crosses the connecting portion 2008 and connects the twoshielding plates 2007 to each other so as to be seen from the two facesof the case body 2003. The connecting portion 2008 fixes and holds thethin and long slider 2009 while covering the slider 2009. The slider2009 can be moved along the front end of the case body 2003. The surfaceof the slider 2009 is in the same level as or is recessed from theleading end face of the bridge portion 2023 of the case body 2003.

A torsion coil spring 2014 is provided in the left side of the front endof the case body 2003. The torsion coil spring 2014 urges the shutter2006 in the direction in which the shutter 2006 covers the opening 2005.The face of the front end (a guide portion 2026) of the case body 2003on the side to which the shutter 2006 is not moved is at substantiallythe same level as or protrudes from the surface of the connectingportion 2008 of the shutter 2006.

The configurations and operations of retaining portions 2022 provided atthe rear end of the case body 2003 and an opening/closing cover 2020 forejecting a disk will be described later with reference to otherdrawings.

A shutter Opening/Closing Function of a Disk Cartridge According to thePresent Embodiment

A shutter opening/closing function of the disk cartridge according tothe present embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 54(a)-(d) show plan views illustrating a shutter opening/closingoperation by shutter openers of a disk cartridge in a drive unit (notshown in the figure). FIG. 54(a) shows the state before the diskcartridge comes into contact with the shutter openers, and FIG. 54(b)shows the state at the moment when the both come into contact with eachother. FIG. 54(c) shows a state during opening of the shutter by theopeners engaged with the shutter. FIG. 54(d) shows the state in whichthe shutter has been opened completely. A shutter opener P2 that is notengaged comes into contact with a guide portion 2026 provided at thefront end of the case body 2003 to be guided.

Its operation will be described with reference to FIG. 54 as follows.

Two rollers R1 and R2 provided at the ends of the shutter openers P1 andP2 are arranged substantially in parallel to the leading face of thecartridge before coming into contact with the disk cartridge. Upon thecontact, the roller R1 engages with an engagement portion 2010 on theshutter 2006. Since the disk cartridge is moved forward by a loadingmechanism (not shown in the figure), the shutter openers pivotaccordingly. The engagement portion 2010 of the shutter 2006 has engagedwith the roller R1 and therefore the shutter 2006 slides to the left tobe opened. The other roller R2 comes into contact with the leading faceof the disk cartridge. However, since no engagement portion for theroller R2 is provided, it moves on the guide portion 2026 of the frontend of the disk cartridge without being retained. Thus, the two rollersR1 and R2 are moved outwards in the direction shown by an arrow, i.e. adirection in which the rollers R1 and R2 are spaced from each otherafter the engagement of the roller R1.

In this case, the rollers R1 and R2 of the shutter openers P1 and P2 donot overlap in the region where they are moved at the front end of thedisk cartridge. Therefore, it is not necessary that the case body 2003,i.e. the disk cartridge has a thickness set considering an anticipatedoverlap. Consequently, the thickness of the case body can be setconsidering only the width of one roller and thus the thickness can bedecreased by arranging the engagement portion 2010 and the guide portion2026 so that the guide portion 2026 does not overlap in the region wherethe engagement portion 2010 is moved.

As shown in FIG. 54(d), when the shutter 2006 is opened completely, theopening 2005 is uncovered to the front end of the case body 2003. Theengagement portion 2010 to be engaged with the shutter opener isarranged movably along the front end of the case body including thebridge portion 2023. When the shutter 2006 is opened completely, thecenter at the front end of the case body 2003 has only the bridgeportion 2023 recessed from the two case faces. Therefore, an opticalhead of a drive unit and a cramp mechanism for a disk need to cross overmerely the bridge portion 2023 when being passed. Thus, by decreasingthe thickness of the bridge portion 2023, the thickness of the driveunit itself can be decreased at the same time.

Further, as shown in FIG. 55, which is a perspective structural view ofthe front end of the cartridge, a notch 2027 is provided at the end ofthe connecting portion 2008 of the shutter 2006 and in the guide portion2026 side, and an engagement portion (a convex part in the presentembodiment) 2028 that can fit into the notch 2027 is formed in the guideportion 2026 and in the connecting portion 2008 side. In addition, thesurface of the guide portion 2026 including this convex part 2028 isformed so as to be at substantially the same level as or protrude fromthe face of the connecting portion 2008. The roller R2 of the shutteropener P2 is formed so as to come into contact only with the guideportion 2026 including the convex part 2028 and not with the connectingportion 2008. By such a configuration, the surfaces (the convex part2028 and the guide portion 2026) on which the roller R2 is guided haveno difference in level and therefore the shutter opener can move on theguide portion 2026 smoothly. The shutter opener does not get stuck onthe connecting portion 2008 during the movement. Therefore, the loadresistance does not increase, thus obtaining an excellent operationalfeeling. In this case, the guide portion 2026 is not formed at thecenter portion of the leading end face and the convex part 2028 isformed in the connecting portion 2008 side of the guide portion 2026intentionally. This is because when the guide face 2026 is formed at thecenter portion of the leading end face, it is necessary to shorten thelength of the connecting portion 2008 in the moving direction in orderto allow the shutter 2006 to be opened and closed by the shutter openerswhile permitting reverse-use, which causes the decrease in the strengthof the connecting portion.

A function for Preventing Erroneous Insertion of a Disk CartridgeAccording to the Present Embodiment

A function for preventing erroneous insertion of the disk cartridgeaccording to the present embodiment will be explained with reference tothe drawings.

FIGS. 56(a)-(c) are plan views showing the operation of the diskcartridge and the shutter openers when the disk cartridge is insertedinto a drive unit (not shown in the figures) with its front side back.FIG. 56(a) shows a state before the shutter openers come into contactwith the cartridge. FIG. 56(b) shows a state at the moment when the bothcome into contact with each other. FIG. 56(c) shows a state in which theshutter openers are engaged with retaining portions.

In FIG. 56, numerals 2021 and 2022 indicate a second guide portionprovided at the rear end of the case body and retaining portionsarranged at the rear end, respectively. At the rear end of the case body2003, the retaining portions 2022 are formed symmetrically with respectto the center line of the case body 2003. The retaining portions 2022are formed of a hook-shaped cut when seen from the case-face side. Thesecond guide portion 2021 and the retaining portions 2022 are providedin a region where the shutter opener moves.

Its operation will be described with reference to FIG. 56 as follows.

When the cartridge is inserted with its front side back, the ends of theshutter openers P1 and P2 come into contact with and are guided by thesecond guide portion 2021 of the rear end of the case body. The shutteropeners P1 and P2 fit into the two retaining portions 2022 atsubstantially the same time. However, the retaining portions 2022 aredifferent from the engagement portion 2010 provided in the sidableshutter 2006 as described above in that the shutter openers P1 and P2cannot pivot when both the rollers R1 and R2 of the shutter openers P1and P2 engage with the fixed retaining portions 2022, thus regulatingthe insertion of the disk cartridge. Furthermore, since a pair of theretaining portions 2022 are arranged symmetrically with respect to thecenter line of the case body, erroneous insertion of the cartridge canbe regulated by the shutter openers P1 and P2 regardless of the side ofthe cartridge. In addition, it can be avoided that the load at the timeof the regulation is biased to one of the two shutter openers P1 and P2.

A Chucking Function of the Disk Cartridge of the Present Embodiment

A chucking function of the disk cartridge of the present embodiment willbe explained with reference to the drawings as follows.

As shown in FIGS. 52, 53, 56 or 57, the retaining portions 2022 have ahook-like shape. FIGS. 57(a) and (b) are plan views showing anengagement operation between a disk-cartridge chucking mechanism and thedisk cartridge, for example, within a changer unit (not shown in thefigures). For instance, when the disk cartridge is adapted to a changerunit or the like, during the operation of changing disk cartridges pinsprovided at the ends of chucking arms C as a chucking mechanism engagewith hook-shaped portions 2024 of retaining portions provided at therear end of the case body 2003 as shown in FIG. 57, thus enabling theoperation of changing the disk cartridges. Therefore, the formation ofthe retaining portion for preventing the above-mentioned reverseinsertion at least partially in a hook shape enables this chuckingoperation. As a result, it is not necessary to form grooves or the likein other parts of the case body as in a conventional technique.Therefore, it is enough for a disk-storage portion for accommodating thedisk to have a size that is required and sufficient for driving thedisk. Thus, it is not necessary to form the disk-storage portion with alarger size than that required.

A Disk Ejecting Function of the Disk Cartridge of the Present Embodiment

A disk ejecting function of the disk cartridge of the present embodimentwill be explained with reference to the drawings as follows.

FIG. 58 is a perspective structural view showing a state of inserting orejecting the disk 2004 in which the opening/closing cover 2020 forejecting a disk pivots upon a pivot axis provided at the rear end of thecase body 2003. FIG. 58 shows a configuration in which theopening/closing cover 2020 is opened by pivoting upon the pivot axis,which allows the opening/closing cover 2020 to be positioned easily whenthe cover is closed and avoids that a user loses the opening/closingcover 2020. However, another configuration in which the opening/closingcover can be separated from the case body completely when being openedmay be employed.

It is not always necessary to arrange the opening/closing cover 2020 forejecting a disk only at the rear end of the case body 2003. For example,the opening/closing cover 2020 may be provided at either side end of thecase body, particularly at the side end shown in the right side in FIG.1. FIG. 59 is a perspective structural view of a disk cartridge ofanother embodiment having such a configuration. As shown in FIG. 59,when an opening/closing cover 2200 for ejecting a disk is provided at aside end, the disk cartridge may be designed so that the opening/closingcover 2200 does not obstruct the auto-loading, for example, so that theopening/closing cover 2200 is located at a position slightly inward fromthe side end face of the case body 2300 to be fixed provisionally whenbeing closed, since it is conceivable that the case body are guided byits side ends at the time of auto-loading of the disk cartridge into arecording and reproducing unit. As shown in FIG. 59, the opening/closingcover is arranged at the side end in the right side in FIG. 52. This isbecause a moving portion of the torsion coil spring 2014 playing a partin opening and closing the shutter is provided in the vicinity of theleft side end. Therefore, the opening/closing cover may be arranged atthe left side end when, for example, the torsion coil spring 2014 isprovided in the vicinity of the right side end that is the opposite sideend to that shown in the drawing while the shutter 2006 is opened andclosed in the same direction as in FIG. 52.

By providing the opening/closing cover in such a manner, a disk can beejected from the disk-storage portion while the characteristics of eachfunction described above are maintained.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, a disc-shaped recording andreproducing medium is explained as an optical disk in which informationis recorded and reproduced by irradiation of light. However, needless tosay, the medium is not always limited to this. As long as informationcan be recorded on and reproduced from both sides of the medium, anymedia for optical recording, magneto-optical recording, magneticrecording or other recording methods may be employed. In addition, thepresent embodiment also can be applied to a disk on which informationhas been recorded and which is only capable of reproducing theinformation and not capable of rerecording, rewriting, or overwriting,such as a so-called CD (a compact disc). Further, as the disk recordingand reproducing unit described above, any disk reproducing units onlycapable of reproduction or any disk recording units only capable ofrecording can be used, as long as a disk cartridge having such aconfiguration as described above in the embodiment can be loaded.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, not only the recording andreproducing surface of a disk but also the center hole of the disk forrotational drive of the disk is exposed from the opening and is coveredby the shutter. However, the same effect can be obtained even when aconfiguration of such a disk cartridge of another embodiment shown inFIG. 60 is employed. In the configuration, the center hole of a disk isalways exposed from a second opening 2307 provided at the center portionof a case body 2301, only a recording and reproducing surface of thedisk is exposed from a first opening 2305, and only the first opening2305 is covered by a shutter 2306.

Moreover, in all the above-mentioned embodiments, for example, as shownin FIG. 52, the explained disk cartridge is provided with all of theshutter opening/closing operation function, the erroneous insertionpreventing function, the chucking function, and the disk ejectingfunction. However, the disk cartridge is not always limited to this.Needless to say, the present invention also can be applied to diskcartridges such as those having the shutter opening/closing operationfunction and the disk ejecting function, those having the erroneousinsertion preventing function, the chucking function, and the diskejecting function, those having only the erroneous insertion preventingfunction and the disk ejecting function, those having the shutteropening/closing operation function, the erroneous insertion preventingfunction, and the chucking function, those having only the shutteropening/closing operation function and the erroneous insertionpreventing function, those having only the shutter opening/closingoperation function, and those having only the erroneous insertionpreventing function.

As described above, according to the present second invention, theshutter can be opened and closed smoothly without decreasing the size ofthe disk-storage portion for accommodating a disk. Furthermore, thepresent second invention can handle with the erroneous insertion of thedisk cartridge with its front side back and at the same time enables adisk change operation in a changer unit or the like and an accommodateddisk itself to be ejected. Thus, the present invention provides aneffect that a disk cartridge can be decreased in size and thickness andat the same time a drive unit also can be decrease in its size andthickness while having functions required for a disk cartridge.

Third Invention

Embodiments of the present third invention will be explained in detailwith reference to the drawings as follows.

Seventh Embodiment

FIG. 64 shows front views of a disk cartridge of the seventh embodimentof the present invention. FIG. 64(A) shows the same when a shutter isclosed and FIG. 64(B) shows the same when the shutter is opened. Ashutter 3002 is illustrated with hatching so that the position of theshutter is recognized easily.

In FIG. 64, a numeral 3001 indicates a cartridge body made of syntheticresins in which a disk 3003 of a recording medium is accommodatedrotatably. A numeral 3001 a indicates an opening provided in both facesof the cartridge body 3001 for exposing surfaces of the disk 3003 sothat light can be irradiated onto the disk 3003 across its inner andouter peripheries for recording and reproducing information. In thecartridge body 3001 shown in FIG. 64, it is necessary to hold a centerhole of the disk 3003 so that the disk 3003 is rotated by a diskrecording and reproducing unit. Therefore, the opening 3001 a isprovided so as to expose the center hole of the disk 3003 completely. Anumeral 3002 indicates a shutter formed of a thin plate made of metalsuch as aluminum or the like or a synthetic resin plate. The shutter3002 is sidably maintained by the cartridge body 3001 so as to shieldthe disk 3003 by covering the opening 3001 a completely and expose thedisk 3003 by uncovering the opening 3001 a.

The disk cartridge of the present embodiment is different from theconventional disk cartridge shown in FIGS. 68 and 69 in that thecartridge body of the present embodiment has a width narrower than thatof the cartridge body shown in FIG. 69 and has a size that is sufficientand minimum for accommodating the single disk 3003, while the opening3001 a of the disk cartridge of the seventh embodiment has substantiallythe same width in the sliding direction as that of the opening 3101 ashown in FIG. 68, and the disk 3003 has the same diameter as that of adisk 3003 with a small diameter shown in FIG. 69.

Its operation will be explained with reference to FIG. 64 as follows.

As shown in FIG. 64(A), the shutter 3002 of the present embodiment hassubstantially the same width in its sliding direction as that of ashutter 3102 of a disk cartridge for a disk with a larger diameter shownin FIG. 68 and can be opened in one direction by an opener lever OL of adisk recording and reproducing unit. A shutter return spring 3004 isprovided inside the cartridge and plays a roll for providing a returningforce to the shutter 3002. As shown in FIG. 64(B), the opener lever OLof the disk recording and reproducing unit engages with a concave part3002 a of the shutter and then the shutter 3002 slides, thus exposingthe disk 3003 through the opening 3001 a. In this case, by positioning apart of the shutter 3002 outside the cartridge body 3001, a space wherethe shutter 3002 is positioned after being moved can be made small.Therefore, the disk cartridge itself has a size that is sufficient andrequired for accommodating the disk 3003 inside, thus preventing thedisk cartridge from having such a large size as that of a conventionaldisk cartridge for a small-diameter disk. That is to say, in the diskcartridge of the present embodiment, the relationship, L0≧L2 holdsbetween L0 representing a width of the opening and L2 representing awidth of a region where the shutter is positioned after being moved tothe side (see FIG. 70). In addition, in the present embodiment, oneshutter 3002 covers the opening 3001 a completely. Therefore, theshutter width L1 should satisfy L1≧L0, thus satisfying the relationship,L≧L0≧L2.

Eighth Embodiment

FIGS. 65 and 66 are front views of a disk cartridge of the eighthembodiment according to the present invention. In each figure, (A) showsthe same when a shutter is closed and (B) shows the same when theshutter is opened. The shutter is illustrated with hatching so that theposition of the shutter is recognized easily as in FIG. 64.

In FIGS. 65 and 66, numerals 3012 and 3015 indicate an upper shutter anda lower shutter, respectively. Each shutter is formed of a thin platemade of metal such as aluminum or the like or a synthetic resin plate.The shutters are sidably maintained by a cartridge body 3011 so as toshield a disk 3003 by being positioned adjacent to each other to coveran opening 3001 a completely as shown in FIGS. 65(A) and 66(A) or so asto expose the disk 3003 by moving to the side from the opening 3011 awith both the shutters being placed one upon another to uncover theopening 3011 a as shown in FIGS. 65(B) and 66(B). Other constructiveelements are the same in the seventh embodiment shown in FIG. 64.

The disk cartridge of the present embodiment is different from that ofthe seventh embodiment shown in FIG. 64 as follows. In the seventhembodiment, the shutter is formed of one shutter 3002 and a part of theshutter 3002 is positioned outside the cartridge body 3001 beyond itsouter periphery when the shutter is opened. However, in the presentembodiment, the shutter is formed of two shutter members 3012 and 3015and they are not positioned outside the cartridge body 311 when beingopened, which is attained by sliding them in the same direction,positioning them one upon another so that the upper shutter 3012 coversthe lower shutter 3015, and placing them between a front end of theopening 3011 a in the sliding direction and an outer peripheral end ofthe cartridge body 3011 that is nearer to the above-mentioned front end(a region where the shutter is positioned after being moved).

The engagement position where the opener and the shutter are engagedwith each other is provided to the lower shutter 3015 of the two shuttermembers in FIG. 65 and to the upper shutter 3012 in FIG. 66. When theengagement position is provided to the lower shutter 3015 (FIG. 65), theupper shutter 3012 requires an accelerating mechanism so as to move morequickly than the lower shutter 3015 with respect to the movement of theopener. However, when the engagement position is provided to the uppershutter 3012 (FIG. 66), the shutters can be operated when the shuttersare designed so that the engagement can be maintained even when theupper shutter 3012 is positioned over the lower shutter 3015.

Thus, effects not only that a disk can be accommodated withoutincreasing the width of the cartridge body in the sliding direction, butalso that the shutters are not positioned outside the cartridge beyondits outer periphery even when the shutters are opened and the opening isexposed can be obtained.

In FIGS. 65 and 66 showing the present embodiment, the upper shutter3012 and the lower shutter 3015 are positioned to the left (at aposition further to the position where the upper and lower shutters arelocated one upon another when being opened) and to the right (at aposition nearer to the position where the upper and lower shutters arelocated one upon another when being opened) respectively in the state inwhich the opening 3011 a is covered. However, the positions of the upperand lower shutters are not always limited to this. The upper and lowershutters may be positioned oppositely.

The shutter was formed of two shutter members. However, needless to say,the same effect can be obtained even when three or more shutter membersare used.

Furthermore, FIGS. 65(A) and 66(A) show the configuration in which anend of the upper shutter 3012 and an end of the lower shutter 3015 arein contact with each other when the shutter is closed. However, theupper shutter 3012 and the lower shutter 3015 may overlap slightly eachother (for example, about 1 mm). Especially, by providing a L-shapedbend (a hook) at respective overlapping parts, as in FIGS. 65(C) and66(C) showing enlarged cross-sectional views of the shutter on the planeperpendicular to a disk surface and parallel to its sliding direction,the movement of the shutters can be controlled and ingress of dust orthe like from the outside can be avoided.

Ninth Embodiment

FIG. 67 shows front views of a disk cartridge of a ninth embodimentaccording to the present invention. FIG. 67(A) shows the same when ashutter is closed and FIG. 67(B) shows the same when the shutter isopened. Similarly, the shutter is illustrated with hatching.

In FIG. 67, numerals 3022 and 3025 indicate a left shutter (a firstshutter member) and a right shutter (a second shutter member),respectively. Each shutter is formed of a thin plate made of metal suchas aluminum or the like or a synthetic resin plate. The left and rightshutters are slidably maintained by a cartridge body 3021 so as toshield a disk 3003 by being positioned adjacent to each other to coveran opening 3021 a completely as shown in FIG. 67(A) or so as to exposethe disk 3003 by being moved from the opening 3021 a to the side touncover the opening 3021 a as shown in FIG. 67(B). Other elements arethe same as in the seventh and eighth embodiments shown in FIGS. 64, 65,and 66.

The disk cartridge of the present embodiment is different from that ofthe eighth embodiment shown in FIGS. 65 and 66 as follows. In the eighthembodiment, the shutter is formed of two upper and lower shutters 3012and 3015 that are positioned one upon another when being opened.However, in the present embodiments the shutter is formed of the twoleft and right shutters 3022 and 3025 and they slide in differentdirections from each other when being opened to be positioned at twopositions between ends of the opening 3021 a and outer peripheral endsof the cartridge body 3021 respectively, so that the shutters are notpositioned outside the cartridge body 3021.

Thus, the effects not only that a disk can be accommodated withoutincreasing the width of the cartridge body in the sliding direction, butalso that the shutters are not positioned outside the cartridge beyondits outer peripheral end even when the opening is exposed in the statein which the shutters are opened can be obtained.

The same effects can be obtained even when the present embodiment andthe eighth embodiment are combined and, for example, either of the leftor right shutter or both the shutters are formed of two upper and lowershutters.

FIG. 67(A) illustrating a state in which the shutter is closed shows aconfiguration in which an end of the left shutter 3022 and an end of theright shutter 3025 are in contact with each other. However, the bothshutters may overlap slightly each other (for example, about 1 mm).Particularly, the movement of each shutter can be controlled and ingressof dust or the like from the outside can be avoided by providing ahook-shaped bend at respective overlapping parts.

As described above, in order to solve the problems in a conventionaldisk cartridge, the cartridge of the present invention has theconfiguration in which: for example, when the cartridge is inserted intoa disk recording and reproducing unit and the shutters are moved, a partof the shutters is positioned outside the cartridge; the shutter isdivided into two parts and the two shutter members are moved to the leftand right; and the shutters are moved in one direction but arepositioned one upon another after being moved. Therefore, the width of aregion where the shutters are positioned after being moved can bedecreased, thus decreasing the size of the cartridge itself.

In all the above-mentioned embodiments, an optical disk and amagneto-optical disk on which information is recorded and reproduced bythe irradiation of light are illustrated as a disk of a recordingmedium. However, the recording medium is not always limited to those.Needless to say, the present invention also can be applied to a magneticdisk on which information is recorded and reproduced by the contact witha so-called magnetic head.

Similarly, in all the above-mentioned embodiments, both surfaces of thecartridge body have an opening, which enables double-sided recording andreproducing in optical recording. When information is recorded on andreproduced from only one side, the opening may be provided to only onesurface of the cartridge body. Subsequently, the shape of the shuttermay be changed from the “U-shape” into an “L-shape” to be simplified.Further, it is not inevitable that the opening is provided so as toreach the center hole of the disk and thus the shutter covers the centerhole. For example, the present invention can be applied to a diskcartridge, such as a 3.5-inch floppy disk, in which only a recordingsurface of a disk used for recording and reproduction is exposed from anopening and is covered by a shutter and a center hole required forrotating the disk is always exposed. In that case, it is better toprovide a dustproof means between the vicinity of the center hole thatis always exposed and the recording surface that is important forrecording as required.

In the seventh, eighth, and ninth embodiments, a return spring forreturning a shutter means is provided inside the cartridge body.However, it is not always necessary to provide the spring inside thecartridge body. The sliding movement of the shutter means may beassisted by an opening/closing means (that is referred to as an openerlever in each embodiment) for opening and closing a shutter means of adisk recording and reproducing unit.

As can be noticed from the above description, in the present invention,a cartridge is designed so that it is not required to provide the regionwhere the shutter is positioned after being moved which width is widerthan that of the opening, when the shutter of the cartridge is opened bybeing moved at the time of recording and reproduction. Therefore, aneffect that the size of the cartridge body can be decreased according toan accommodated disk size, since it is not necessary to increase thewidth of the cartridge body in the sliding direction, even in the casewhere an accommodated disk has a small size, can be obtained.

Each embodiment and example described above aims merely to disclose thetechnical contents of the present first to third inventions andtherefore should not be considered as limiting. The present inventionscan be carried out by modifying variously within the range described inclaims without departing from the spirit of the present inventions.Therefore, the present inventions should be interpreted broadly.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present first invention enables information to be recorded on,reproduced and erased from a disk-type recording medium accommodated ina disk cartridge via an adapter in a drive unit designed for a largerdisk cartridge than the disk cartridge. In addition, great modificationin design of the drive unit is not required. Further, the disc-shapedrecording medium can be loaded into the adapter without being touched.Therefore, the present invention enables, for example, recording ofinformation on different disc-shaped recording media according tovarious standards in a single drive unit. The present invention can beapplied extremely widely in an application field of disc-shapedrecording media in which various standards coexist.

According to the present second invention, a small and thin double-sideddisk cartridge that can be used reversibly can be obtained, thusallowing the size and thickness of a drive unit to be decreased.Therefore, the present invention can be applied suitably, particularlyto a disk cartridge for a drive unit that is required to be small andthin.

According to the present third invention, a small disk cartridge whosesize is set according to the size of an accommodated disk can beobtained. Therefore, the present third invention can be appliedsuitably, particularly to a disk cartridge that is required to have asmall size

The recording system of a disk to which the present first to thirdinventions can be applied is not especially limited. The present firstto third inventions also can be applied to, for example, disks for anoptical recording system, a magneto-optical recording system, a magneticrecording system, or other recording systems. In addition, the presentfirst to third inventions can be applied not only to disks on whichinformation can be recorded but also to disks from which information canbe reproduced but on which information cannot be rerecorded, rewrittenor overwritten.

What is claimed is:
 1. A disk cartridge comprising: a case body havingan opening for ejecting a disk and a disk-storage portion providedcontinuously to the opening; an opening/closing cover having a pair ofdisk holding members that maintain the disk and having positioning partsarmged with a predetermined distance from both surfaces of the disk foradjusting a position of the disk in a thickness direction of the disk;and locking means for fixing and holding the opening/closing cover tothe case body at a position where the opening/closing cover closes theopening, the locking means including a locking hole formed in the casebody and a locking projection provided in the opening/closing cover soas to engage with the locking hole when the opening/closing cover closesthe opening, and the engagement between the locking hole and the lockingprojection is able to be released irreversibly by a predeterminedexternal force, wherein the opening/closing cover is accommodated in thedisk-storage portion in a withdrawable manner, and the pair of diskholding members hold the disk in an inplane orientation when theopening/closing cover is withdrawn from the disk-storage portion.
 2. Thedisk cartridge according to claim 1, further including means forconfirming the fixing and holding of the opening/closing cover to thecase body by said locking means.
 3. The disk cartridge according toclaim 1, wherein the disk holding members have free ends and thepositioning parts are positioned in the vicinity of the free ends, theopening/closing cover further comprising a grip and second positioningparts in the vicinity of the grip.
 4. The disk cartridge according toclaim 1, wherein the disk holding members have a finger-like shape.